To understand links between sleep and mental health, we need to hear from people who may find traditional lab settings especially challenging and redesign the experience with them.
Researchers from the Circadian Mental Health Network, along with members of the McPin Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG), share some of the things they’ve found useful.
Emma Sullivan, Stella Hassan, Keiron Harris, Eleanor Caldwell
The disconnect
If you have ever seen photos of someone taking part in a sleep study, you will probably see them covered in wires. That set-up, called polysomnography (PSG), records:
- Brain activity (EEG)
- Eye movements (EOG)
- Muscle tone (EMG)
It is considered the “gold standard” for diagnosing sleep disorders and running sleep studies, but the experience can feel invasive and uncomfortable.
Being wired up, sleeping in an unfamiliar environment and knowing you are being observed can be overwhelming. People often worry they will not sleep, feel self-conscious, or become anxious (Mogavero et al., 2025). For people with mental health issues or who are neurodivergent, these barriers can be even higher.
Evidence from other areas of psychology suggests this may affect who participates. For example, people who participate in brain imaging studies tend to have lower anxiety than those who participate in behaviour-only studies, hinting at a bias in who feels comfortable enough to get into the scanner (Charpentier et al., 2021). It is likely that something similar happens in the sleep lab.
As one co-involvement contributor put it: “My first thoughts were that, as a neurodivergent person, the lab as it was would be quite overwhelming for me, especially if I was not familiar with it beforehand. That might put me off going, even if I wanted to help.”
To understand links between sleep and mental health, we need to hear from people who may find traditional lab settings especially challenging and redesign the experience with them.
Working with young people to redesign the experience
With pilot funding from the Circadian Mental Health Network, we set out to explore how to reduce barriers to taking part in overnight sleep studies.
We worked with three young adults from the McPin Foundation Young People’s Network as co-involvement contributors. Before starting data collection, we held an accessibility-focused meeting, discussing:
- What makes an overnight sleep study feel intimidating?
- What information would help?
- What would make young people more likely to participate?
The ability to leave the sleep study is important to me. Struggling with anxiety, expectations can exacerbate it. You do not want people to feel trapped.
Sleep study contributor
Making overnight sleep studies less daunting
Clear, honest information upfront
One of the group’s main ideas was a short, friendly leaflet to demystify what happens during a sleep study. It:
- Explained the purpose of the study in everyday language
- Set out what people could bring to the lab—earplugs, comfortable clothes, snacks, pillows and other ‘sleep essentials’
- Reassured people they could keep to their usual bedtime routine as much as possible
The leaflet walked through a typical visit (arrival, wind-down, night-time, morning) and explained what happens to the data and why it is collected. The group felt strongly that people need clear guidance on what’s ‘allowed’.
Optional induction visit
The group also suggested offering an optional visit to the sleep lab before the overnight stay. This gave people a chance to:
- See the space and equipment
- Meet the researchers
- Ask questions and talk through worries
The hope was that by the time participants arrived for the overnight session, the environment would feel more familiar and less intimidating.
Practical protocol changes
We made several changes based on the group’s feedback, including:
- Encouraging participants to bring headphones and listen to music to help them fall asleep
- Actively inviting them to bring home comforts, such as a pillow or bedtime snacks
- Clearly stating that there are no cameras in the room—only brain activity is recorded
- Allowing participants to keep their phone, with Wi-Fi available
- Emphasising that if a participant struggled to sleep, there were no negative consequences, and they could stop and go home at any time
“The ability to leave the sleep study is important to me,” one contributor explained. “Struggling with anxiety, expectations can exacerbate it. You do not want people to feel trapped.”
I definitely preferred the less invasive options. This would remove a lot of barriers in terms of my sensory experience and being able to do this at home would be much more comforting to me.
Sleep study contributor
What young people told us
Following these changes, we invited 14 young people aged 18-21 to stay overnight in our sleep lab and then share feedback. Overall responses were positive:
- Around half rated the sleep equipment as comfortable
- All but one said the sleep equipment either did not interfere with sleep or only interfered “a little”
- Several highlighted benefits, such as learning how sleep EEG works
- All participants were satisfied with the study, and all except one said they would take part in a similar study again
Some were surprised by how comfortable the lab felt compared with their expectations, suggesting that clear information and small changes can make a meaningful difference.
Rethinking sleep technology for the future
In a second co-involvement meeting, after data collection, we explored alternatives to traditional PSG including:
- Somnify – a contactless bedside sleep monitor
- Oura ring – a ring-based wearable sleep tracker
- Garmin watches – wrist-worn wearables that we trialled, and which were well received
- Sleep Analyser – an under-mattress sleep sensor
- Muse-S headband – an EEG-based headband for relaxation and sleep
There was a clear preference for unobtrusive wearables (Garmin watches and the contactless sleep sensors). The headband and ring were also viewed more favourably than the traditional PSG set-up.
“The watch was easy to use and a more modern way to collect data,” one contributor reflected. “It might be more accepted with young people, as lots of people already wear watches.”
Another said: “I definitely preferred the less invasive options. This would remove a lot of barriers in terms of my sensory experience and being able to do this at home would be much more comforting to me.”
Future work should continue to test whether less invasive, home-based devices can match the “gold-standard” of PSG. If they can, we may be able to move beyond artificial lab environments towards more natural, real-world sleep assessments.
Looking beyond the lab
The insights from our co-involvement group, alongside participant feedback, point to practical steps for more inclusive sleep research. We would particularly advocate for:
- Clear, honest information about what an overnight study involves
- Optional familiarisation visits to the sleep lab
- Prioritising comfort, flexibility and choice wherever possible
Future work should continue to test whether less invasive, home-based devices can match the “gold-standard” of PSG. If they can, we may be able to move beyond artificial lab environments towards more natural, real-world sleep assessments across longer time periods.
As one contributor put it: “We should continue to test innovative, less invasive ways of measuring sleep data, particularly focusing on how we can do this in people’s homes, and explore how these technologies can make studies more accessible to neurodivergent people and those with higher anxiety—groups currently at greater risk of poor mental health, but who may be missing from much of the existing research.”
We would like to thank our co-involvement contributors for shaping this project and for generously sharing the insights that informed this blog.
Dr Emma Sullivan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, previously at the University of York, and was the Principal Investigator on this Circadian Mental Health Network-funded project.
Stella Hassan is a young person involved in the project. Keiron Harris is a young person involved in the project. Eleanor Caldwell is a Research Assistant at the University of York who worked on the project.
Find out more about the Circadian Mental Health Network on the study website and McPin project page.
