Our research at SIESTA centers around four main themes of Exercise, Sport, Technology, and Analytics. To learn more about our applied research, including the current projects under these themes and our list of recent publications, see below.

SLEEP and EXERCISE

Our EXERCISE theme involves sleep research in applied exercise and physical activity settings. This includes research on the following:
- Sleep restriction and propensity to be physically active
- The impact of poor sleep on motivation to exercise, and perceived exertion during exercise
- The inerplay between sleep, circadian rhythms, exercise and hunger

SLEEP and SPORT

Our SPORT theme involves sleep research in applied sport and athlete environments. This includes research on the following:
- Napping as a strategy to enhance athletic performance
- Improving the sleep behaviors of elite athletes
- Interventions to enhance sleep in athletes

SLEEP and TECHNOLOGY

Our TECHNOLOGY theme involves sleep research evaluating new and emerging sleep technologies. This includes research on the following:
- Validation of new and emerging wearable technologies to monitor sleep
- Evaluation of temperature-controlled mattress toppers and their impact on sleep
- Measurement of the 24/7 light environment using wearable sensors, and the subsequent influence on sleep parameters

SLEEP and ANALYTICS

Our ANALYTICS theme involves sleep research evaluating big data. This includes research on the following:
- Leverage big data to better understand the complex processes that underlie sleep and wakefulness

- Automating workflow of sleep-related data acquisition to actionable insights

- Detection and prediction of impaired sleep characteristics using machine learning

A SELECTION OF RECENT SLEEP PUBLICATIONS FROM LA TROBE UNIVERSITY

• Stevenson, S., Suppiah, H., Ruddy, J., Murphy, S., & Driller, M. (2024). Higher levels of morning and daytime light exposure associated with positive sleep indices in professional team sport athletes. Nature and Science of Sleep.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Johnston, B., & Gill, N. (2024). Association between health behaviors and mental health among airline pilots. Lifestyle Medicine.

• Kerkeni, M., Boukhris O., Driller, M., Trabelsi, K. (2024). Ramadan fasting observance is associated with decreased sleep duration, increased daytime sleepiness and insomnia symptoms among student athletes. Sleep Medicine.

• Boukhris, O., Suppiah, H., Halson, S., Russell, S., Clarke, A., Geneau, M.C., Stutter, L., & Driller, M. (2024). The acute effects of non-sleep deep rest on perceptual responses, physical, and cognitive performance in physically active participants. Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing.

• Trabelsi, K., Almarzooqi, M., Aljaloud, K., Ghazzawi, H., Alenezi, A., Salem, A., Kerkeni, M., Kerkeni, M., Chtourou, H., Ammar, A., Boukhris, O., Driller, M., Jahrami, H. (2024). Adapting the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) for Arabic-speaking populations: Translation, reliability testing, and validation using classical theory and item response theory. Sleep Medicine.

• Teece, A., Beaven, C.M., Suppiah, H., Argus, C., Gill, N. & Driller, M. (2024). Routine, routine, routine: Sleep regularity and its association with sleep metrics in professional rugby union athletes. Sports Medicine Open.

• Ashby, C., Driller, M., O’Donnell, S. (2024). Sink or swim? Sleep in highly trained adolescent swimmers during the in-season phase of training. Sleep Science.

• Trabelsi, K., Saif, Z., Driller, M., Vitiello, M., & Jahrami, H. (2024). Evaluating the reliability of the athlete sleep behavior questionnaire (ASBQ): a meta-analysis of Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Johnston, B. & Gill, N. (2024). The relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and blood pressure among airline pilots: a mediation analysis of body composition. Journal of Hypertension.

• Boukhris, O., Zghal, F., Trabelsi, K., Suppiah, H., Ammar, A., Jahrami, H., Hsouna, H., Abdessalem, R., Glenn, J., Chtrourou, H. & Driller, M. (2024). The impact of a 40-min nap on neuromuscular fatigue profile and recovery following the 5-m shuttle run test. Journal of Sleep Research.

• Omond, S. E., Barker, R. G., Sanislav, O., Fisher, P. R., Annesley, S. J., & Lesku, J. A. (2024). Oxygen consumption rate of flatworms under the influence of wake‐and sleep‐promoting neurotransmitters. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology.

• Omond, S. E., & Lesku, J. A. (2024). Why study sleep in flatworms?. Journal of Comparative Physiology.

• Trabelsi, K., Ammar, A., Boukhris, O., Boujelbane, M. A., Clark, C., Romdhani, M., ... & Jahrami, H. (2024). Ramadan intermittent fasting and its association with health-related indices and exercise test performance in athletes and physically active individuals: an overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine.

• Driller, M. & Leabeater, A. (2023). Fundamentals or icing on top of the cake? A narrative review of recovery strategies and devices for athletes. Sports.

• Omond, S. E., & Lesku, J. A. (2023). Persistence of Nocturnality in Decapitated and Bisected Flatworms. Journal of Biological Rhythms.

• Boukhris, O., Trabelsi, K., Hill, D. W., Hsouna, H., Abdessalem, R., Ammar, A., ... & Chtourou, H. (2023). Physiological response and physical performance after 40 min and 90 min daytime nap opportunities. Research in Sports Medicine.

• Boukhris, O., Trabelsi, K., Suppiah, H., Ammar, A., Clark, C.T., Jahrami, H., Chtrourou, H. & Driller, M. (2023). The impact of daytime napping following normal night-time sleep on physical performance: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression. Sports Medicine.

• Driller, M.W., Dunican, I.C., Omond, S.E.T., Boukhris, O., Stevenson, S., Lambing, K., Bender, A.M. (2023). Pyjamas, Polysomnography and Professional Athletes: The Role of Sleep Tracking Technology in Sport. Sports.

• Boukhris, O., Jahrami, H., Trabelsi, K., Glenn, J. M., & Bragazzi, N. L. (2023). Impact of screen time during the pandemic of COVID-19 on sleep habits. In COVID-19 and Sleep: A Global Outlook (pp. 281-294). Singapore: Springer Nature.

• Edgar, D., Beaven, C.M., Gill, N., Zaslona, J.L. & Driller, M.W. (2023). Operation early-bird: Investigating altered light exposure in military barracks on subsequent sleep and performance - a placebo-controlled study. Journal of Sleep Research.

• Teece, A., Beaven, C.M., Argus, C., Gill, N. & Driller, M. (2023). Daytime naps improve afternoon power and perceptual measures in elite rugby union athletes – a randomized cross-over trial. Sleep.

• Boukhris, O., Trabelsi, K., Ammar, A., Hsouna, H., Abdessalem, R., Altmann, S., ... & Chtourou, H. (2023). Performance, muscle damage, and inflammatory responses to repeated high-intensity exercise following a 40-min nap. Research in Sports Medicine.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Johnston, B., & Gill, N. (2023). A contactless app-based intervention to improve health behaviours in airline pilots: A randomized trial. American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Johnston, B., & Gill, N. (2023). Healthy nutrition, physical activity, and sleep hygiene to promote cardiometabolic health of airline pilots: A narrative review. Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

• Teece, A., Argus, C., Gill, N., Beaven, C.M., & Driller, M. (2023). Nap to perform? Match-day napping on perceived match performance in professional rugby union athletes. International Journal of Sport Coaching.

• Hough, P., Bender, A., Driller, M., & Pedlar, C. (2023). BASES Expert Statement: Methods to monitor athletes’ sleep. The Sport and Exercise Scientist.

• Teece, A., Argus, C., Gill, N., Beaven, C.M., & Driller, M. (2022). Comparing perceived sleep quality, practices and behaviours of elite male and female rugby union athletes with the use of sleep questionnaires. Sleep Science.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Johnston, B., & Gill, N. (2022). The effects of an app-based physical activity, healthy eating, and sleep hygiene lifestyle intervention on health and fitness of airline pilots: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

• Teece, A., Beaven, C.M., Argus, C., Gill, N. & Driller, M. (2022). Napping improves afternoon power and perceptual measures in elite rugby union athletes. Sleep.

• Edgar, D., Beaven, C.M., Gill, N., Zaslona, J.L. & Driller, M.W. (2022). The comparison of an automatic-scoring actigraph vs a manually-scored actigraph for sleep measurement in healthy adults. Sleep Science.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Winwood, P., Clissold, T., Johnston, B. & Gill, N. (2022). The effectiveness of a combined healthy eating, physical activity, and sleep hygiene lifestyle intervention on health and fitness of overweight airline pilots: A controlled trial. Nutrients.

• Suppiah, H., Gastin, P. & Driller, M. (2022). A strategy to inform athlete sleep support from questionnaire data and its application in an elite cohort. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.

• Driller, M., Suppiah, H., Rogerson, D., Ruddock, A., James, L. & Virgile, A. (2022). Investigating the sleep habits in individual and team-sport athletes using the Athlete Sleep Behaviour Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Sleep Science.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M., Johnston, B. & Gill, N. (2022). The prevalence of cardiometabolic health risk factors among airline pilots: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

• Clarke, M., Southerton, C. & Driller, M. (2022). Digital self-tracking, habits and the myth of discontinuance: It doesn't just 'stop’. New Media and Society.

• Wilson, D., Driller, M.W., Johnston, B. & Gill, N. (2022). Sleep hygiene, healthy eating and physical activity as preventive medicine for airline pilots: A narrative review. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

• Driller, M., Suppiah, H., Gastin, P. & Beaven, C.M. (2022). Questionnaire-derived sleep quantity and quality and academic achievement in first year University students. Clocks & Sleep.

• Suppiah, H., Swinbourne, R., Wee, J., Qixiang, H., Pion, J., Driller, M., Gastin, P. & Carey, D. (2022). Predicting sleep quality using machine learning and the development of a translational tool to inform practitioner decision-making. Sports Health.Turner, M., Lo, J., Beranek, P., Dunican, I., & Cruickshank, T. (2022). The influence of self-reported total sleep time and sleep quality on physical performance in junior tennis players. International Journal of Racket Sports Science.

• Trabelsi, K., Ammar, A., Glenn, J. M., Boukhris, O., Khacharem, A., Bouaziz, B., Zmijewski, P., Lanteri, P., Garbarino, S., & Clark, C. C. (2022). Does observance of Ramadan affect sleep in athletes and physically active individuals? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sleep Research.

• Boukhris, O., Trabelsi, K., Hill, D. W., Hsouna, H., Abdessalem, R., Ammar, A., Hammouda, O., Clark, C. C., Zmijewski, P., & Duking, P. (2022). Physiological response and physical performance after 40 min and 90 min daytime nap opportunities. Research in Sports Medicine.

• Boukhris, O., Hill, D. W., Ammar, A., Trabelsi, K., Hsouna, H., Abdessalem, R., Mezghanni, N., Souissi, N., Bragazzi, N. L., & Chamari, K. (2022). Longer Nap Duration During Ramadan Observance Positively Impacts 5-m Shuttle Run Test Performance Performed in the Afternoon. Frontiers in Physiology.

• Jemal, M., Trabelsi, K., Boukhris, O., Ammar, A., Clark, C., & Chtourou, H. (2022). Sleep and daytime sleepiness in elite athletes and sedentary individuals. Science & Sports.

• Trabelsi, K., Masmoudi, L., Ammar, A., Boukhris, O., Khacharem, A., Jemal, M., Zlitni, S., Bragazzi, N. L., Clark, C. C., & Lastella, M. (2021). The effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on sleep-wake behaviour and daytime sleepiness in team sport referees. Journal of Sports Sciences.

• Hsouna, H., Boukhris, O., Hill, D. W., Abdessalem, R., Trabelsi, K., Ammar, A., Irandoust, K., Souissi, N., Taheri, M., & Hammouda, O. (2022). A daytime 40-min nap opportunity after a simulated late evening soccer match reduces the perception of fatigue and improves 5-m shuttle run performance. Research in Sports Medicine.

• Omond, S. E., Hale, M. W., & Lesku, J. A. (2022). Neurotransmitters of sleep and wakefulness in flatworms. Sleep.