What is the study about?

Sleep disturbance / deprivation is associated with adverse health consequences and directly impacts our behaviour and mood. Although sleep and emotional wellbeing are closely connected, their relationship and impact on an individual within a workplace has not been widely researched.

This study looks at the potential impact of sleep disturbances and shift schedules on the emotional wellbeing of NHS nurses. An intervention designed to improve sleep and mood will also be explored. We are recruiting participants throughout 2021 and 2022. The study is open to nurses who work day or night shifts (or a mixture of both).

If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please email our research team at eclockerstudy@kcl.ac.uk

What is involved?

If you choose to participate you will:

Wear an actigraph (a small watch-like device) for 2 weeks to track your sleep and physical activity
Fill in short daily questionnaires
Have the opportunity to take part in a 6-week sleep intervention using ‘high-tech’ headphones

We will compensate you for your time. You will receive a £60 Amazon voucher for completing all study phases.

Phase 1

You will wear an ‘actigraph’ for 2 weeks. These small devices measure movement and physical activity and are combined with diaries to track sleep.

During the day, we will ask you to briefly record your mood, emotional wellbeing, and alertness using a mobile phone app. Some of these daily measures include tasks designed for the BBC Horizon The Great British Intelligence Test.

Phase 2

If you are a night shift worker from phase 1, you can choose to participate in a second study phase. For this, you will wear ‘high-tech’ headphones for 6 weeks prior to bed. Developed by Kokoon, sensors inside the headset are paired with a smartphone app to monitor your sleep. An audio library in the app then delivers personalised relaxation exercises and sleep techniques used in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). You will then repeat phase 1 and wear an actigraph for 2 weeks.

Credit: Actigraph

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Who can participate?

The study is open to NHS nurses who work day or night shifts (or a mixture of both). You may take part in the study if you:

Are a current NHS nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, South London and Maudsley, or Kent and Medway.
Are over 21 years old.
Have no previous diagnosis of a sleep disorder (e.g. insomnia, sleep apnoea) or mood disorder (e.g. depression, bipolar disorder).