clinical sleep health

Explore our leading sleep research by experts in psychology, medicine and engineering.

Our research

Our projects

Featured publications

Sleep Disorders, including Insomnia, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and Circadian Rhythm Sleep Wake Disorders, are common and affect people of all ages. By middle-age, 40% of Australians have a sleep disorder requiring clinical management.

Many factors contribute to clinical sleep disorders in the community. These include:

Work schedules, behaviours, habits, and daily routines
Disruptions to the body’s natural clock (circadian rhythm)
Medications
Physiological and anatomical factors
Underlying medical and psychological conditions

Our research focuses on understanding the bi-directional relationships between sleep and both physical and mental health conditions

OUR RESEARCH

We are developing new ways to diagnose and treat a range of sleep disorders.

Our team is exploring new ways to deliver personalised sleep care using precision sleep medicine. This means testing treatments that are tailored to each individual and finding better ways to provide care that suits people’s needs.

Through our co-designed research projects, we are incorporating the voices of people living with sleep disorders. We work closely with consumer advisory groups and patients from our Sleep Health Treatment Clinic to make sure our solutions are shaped by real experiences and truly meet the needs of the community.

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^{Photo credit: FHMRI Sleep Health - Nick Antic Sleep laboratory bedroom (courtesy of Cheeseman Architects)}

Current research projects include:

Increasing the Australian cohort of psychologists capable of administering cognitive/behavioural therapy for insomnia.
Understanding the clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy for insomnia phenotypes.
Developing new digital treatments for insomnia.
Finding ways to improve bright light therapy for circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.
Finding new ways to identify and manage sleep disorders early in young adults.
Understanding the patient experiences, perspectives, and needs of shift workers with clinical sleep disorders.
Designing new models of care to ensure that employers and shift workers know how to access sleep disorder care and support the workforce.
Understanding the underlying causes of Co-Morbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnoea (COMISA), to develop more effective treatment approaches, and implement these treatments throughout the healthcare system.

Featured publications

Haycock, J., Lack, L., Hoon, E., Sweetman, A., Appleton, S., Loffler, K., Scott, H., & Lovato, N. (2025). Treatment Preferences and Help Seeking Experiences of Australian Adults with Insomnia. Australian Psychologist, Accepted.
Dunbar, C., Sansom, K., Lovato, N., Vakulin, A., Loffler, K. A., Nguyen, K., ... & Reynolds, A. C. (2025). Protocol for a pilot hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation study to improve help-seeking for sleep disorders in the future healthcare workforce: The Sleep Check Before Shift Work trial. Sleep Advances, 6(2), zpaf020.
Scott, H., Lovato, N., Comas, M., Bartlett, D., Grunstein, R. R., Lack, L., & Gordon, C. J. (2025). Circadian rhythm timing and associations with sleep symptoms in people with insomnia. Journal of Pineal Research, 77(5), e70069.
Reynolds, AC, Loffler, KA, Grivell, N, Brown, BWJ, & Adams, RJ (2024). Diagnosis and management of sleep disorders in shift workers, with patient informed solutions to improve health services research and practice. Sleep Medicine, 113, 131-141.
Lack, L. C., Micic, G., & Lovato, N. (2023). Circadian aspects in the aetiology and pathophysiology of insomnia. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(6), e13976.
Scott, H., Muench, A., Appleton, S., Reynolds, A. C., Loffler, K. A., Bickley, K., Haycock, J., Lovato, N., Micic, G., Lack, L., & Sweetman, A. (2024). Sex differences in response to cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: A chart review of 455 patients with chronic insomnia. Sleep Medicine, 116, 123-128.
Reynolds, A. C., Sweetman, A., Crowther, M. E., Paterson, J. L., Scott, H., Lechat, B., ... & Eastwood, P. R. (2023). Is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) efficacious for treating insomnia symptoms in shift workers? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine reviews, 67, 101716.
Moulder, Z., Sweetman, A., Lovato, N., Micic, G., Lack, L., & Scott, H. (2023). Sleep-Wake State Discrepancy Does Not Impair the Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia: Findings from a Large Clinic Sample. Journal of Sleep Research, 33(5), e14142.
Scott, H., Green, M., Jones, K., Loffler, K. A., Lovato, N., Toson, B., Bensen-Boakes, D-B., Perlis, M., Drummond, S. P. A., Kaambwa, B., & Lack, L. (2025). Comparing the efficacy of technology-enabled treatments for insomnia: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Sleep Advances, zpaf010.
Brown, BWJ, Adams, RJ, Wanstall, S, Crowther, ME, Rawson, G, Vakulin, A, Rayner, T, McEvoy, RD, Eastwood, P, Reynolds, AC (2024). Introducing a sleep disorder screening and management strategy for workers with future shift work requirements: a feasibility and acceptability study. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 19964.

Resources

FHMRI Sleep Health Clinic

GROUP MEMBERS

Zoe Moulder

WORK WITH US

We have strong collaborations with academic partners, government bodies and professional organisations. In addition, we work with a range of strategic industry partners to advance sleep health solutions.

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