The Sleep, Self-Adjustment and Health Research Laboratory of the Department of Psychology at the University of Hong Kong will pay subjects HK$1,200 to participate in a study on sleep deprivation. To qualify, each participant must be between 25 and 45 years old and typically get 7-9 hours of sleep between 10pm and 8am a night.
Those interested in being part of the research must also fill out a questionnaire from HKU and provide details about their height, weight, family income, mental health status, etc. This information is used to determine a candidate’s eligibility for the study.
The two-part study will explore whether partial sleep deprivation and sleep recovery will affect eating habits. Participants will first have to undergo three days of partial sleep deprivation followed by two days of sleep recovery at home. During the next stage, they must go through a three-day sleep routine at home. Subjects can go about their regular activities during the study period.
Subjects must also maintain a sleep log for seven consecutive days and wear an actigraph – a non-invasive device that tracks sleep-rest cycles – for the duration of the study. They also need to visit a laboratory at HKU to fill out a questionnaire and perform computer experiments.
Header image credit: doucefleur’s Images via Canva
