University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal

The overarching objective of the Sleep Research Platform is to better understand the role of sleep in preventing and treating mental illness.

Our sleep researchers primarily conduct their studies in a four-bedroom Sleep Laboratory at The Royal’s IMHR. Several research projects also harness the cutting-edge MRI technology available at The Royal’s state-of-the-art Brain Imaging Centre and biospecimen at our wet lab.

Ongoing research studies involve sleep evaluations and intervention studies, as well as research on the mechanisms underlying sleep and its related disorders, including sleep disruptions associated with mental health disorders.

The Sleep Research Platform works closely with The Royal’s Sleep Disorders Clinic, to ensure that any new discoveries or innovations in sleep research can be effectively translated into the best possible prevention and treatment strategies for patients. This strong partnership between research and clinical teams offers considerable hope for the 150-200 new patients who are referred to the clinic each month.

Research Focus:

• Interventions to improve sleep in individuals with mental disorders;
• Multi-disciplinary studies investigating the interplay between sleep, cardio metabolic health and mental health;
• Mechanisms underlying sleep disorders;
• Mechanisms underlying sleep disruptions associated with mental health disorders;
• Impact of sleep on memory, cognition and behaviour

We also manage the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium, which is highly involved in knowledge mobilization. For more info, please see https://www.researchsleep.ca/