Before going to sleep
Participants will meet a member from our research team in the lobby of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. Our sleep lab is located in the Research Wing on the 13th floor. Participants will have their own bedroom and bathroom. They will be asked to get ready for the night (e.g. change into pajamas). On night 1 they will be asked to fill out some fast paperwork including the consent form. On nights 2-4 they will complete 2 short computer tasks which examine working memory.
Time for bed
After the paperwork/ tasks are complete participants will have a polysomnography (PSG) put on them by UPMC sleep technicians which is used to screen for any sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. This consists of 9 electrodes spaced out on the head and worn on all 4 nights, as well as a few other pieces of equipment that is only worn on night 1. In addition to the 9 electrodes, participants will also wear an EEG headband everynight that goes over the ears. They will sleep with the headband and PSG on for the entire night (see picture for example). While it might be slightly more difficult to fall asleep, our participants find that they can sleep for the entire night with no problem. If during the night they need to use the bathroom, they can simply notify staff by pressing a red call button that will be clipped to the bed sheets. A staff member will arrive to help unplug the PSG.
The next morning
In the morning we wake up the participants at the time they specifically requested. If they did the computer tasks the night before they will repeat these tasks again in the morning. They will also fill out a questionnaire asking how they slept that night. All EEG gel used in the PSG comes off easily with water. Participants are given the option to shower if they want. We will provide a meal pass to have breakfast in the cafeteria.