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Session Schedule

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0:00:00
Introduction

0:01:40
Assessing Sleep & Circadian Timing in Children & Adolescents Outside the Lab
Mary Carskadon (United States)

0:22:00
Night feedings and naps: Measuring sleep and rhythms in the mother-infant dyad
Katherine Sharkey (United States)

0:43:15
Rhythms of rest: Exploring sleep health and environmental influences on circadian rhythms in African youth
Karine Scheuermaier (South Africa)

1:04:10
Beyond constant laboratory conditions: The role of environmental stimuli in the dynamic modulation of sleep expression
 Markus Schmidt (Switzerland)

1:23:50
Question and answer

Summary

Rapid technological advances now allow multi-modal measurement of sleep and circadian rhythms in the “natural habitat,” providing unique insights into how context shapes these fundamental biological processes. Despite being homeostatically regulated, sleep is profoundly influenced by the environment in which it occurs. Measuring sleep in real-world settings offers invaluable knowledge about its role in health and behavior across development.

This symposium unites a multidisciplinary team of researchers from four continents to explore the opportunities and challenges of studying sleep and circadian rhythms in naturalistic contexts:

Professor Mary Carskadon (Brown University, USA) will present findings on the circadian timing system of American adolescents with and without major depressive disorder (MDD) using home-based assessments of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO).
Dr. Kattherine Sharkey (Brown University, USA) will highlight a naturalistic study of sleep and circadian rhythms in new mothers and their infants. Sleep-wake patterns are recorded with actigraphy, maternal circadian phase is assessed with salivary melatonin, and breast milk samples provide additional biological insights. All measures are collected in the home, offering an ecologically valid perspective on the intertwined rhythms of the maternal–infant dyad.
Professor Karine Scheuermaier (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) will address sleep and circadian rhythms in African youth, focusing on sleep health correlates and environmental influences.
Dr Markus Schmidt (University of Bern, Switzerland) will highlight the importance of studying sleep in conditions where variables such as ambient temperature, light duration, feeding and sleep homeostatic pressure should be measured in the wild or (co)-manipulated in laboratory settings to elucidate the roles of ambient conditions in the dynamic modulation of behavioral state expression.

Together, this symposium provides a global perspective on innovative approaches to measuring sleep and circadian rhythms in the field, advancing our understanding of sleep’s role in health and development.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this CME activity, participants will be able to:
• Recognize how circadian rhythms differ in adolescents with and without major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Learn the application of home-based dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) assessments
• Explore the link between circadian disruptions and mental health
• Identify implications for targeted health interventions
• Recognize the importance of measuring sleep neurophysiology in adolescents' natural sleep environments
• Explore how home-based sleep data reveal differences in adolescents with and without major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Identify how environmental context impacts sleep and mental health
• Recognize implications for targeted mental health interventions
• Illustrate sleep and circadian rhythm patterns in African youth
• Identify key environmental and social factors influencing sleep health
• Explore the relationship between sleep health and overall well-being in diverse contexts
• Recognize the importance of culturally relevant research in global sleep studies
• Define the importance of studying sleep in animals in the wild to reveal natural sleep patterns
• Identify environmental factors affecting sleep in natural habitats
• Recognize how animal sleep research informs human sleep and developmental studies