Many college students believe they can sleep when they’re dead; however, it’s actually more accurate to believe in sleep, or you will be dead. One of the three pillars of health — along with physical activity and diet — proper rest is an integral part of how the body functions.

While it may not always be visible to the naked eye, disruption to sleep can have many negative impacts. Within Colorado State University’s department of health and exercise science, one lab focuses on this exact topic.

Part of the Human Performance Clinical Research Laboratory, the Sleep and Metabolism Laboratory researches the way sleep and circadian regulation disruptions affect the entire body. Circadian rhythm is a natural internal clock that dictates when people wake up and go to sleep. Those who go against this cycle, such as night-shift workers, are at higher risk of experiencing negative health effects, including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, Chief Scientific Officer Corey Rynders explained.

“We can’t get rid of these jobs, and we can’t get rid of these workers,” Rynders said. “So we need to find what we call countermeasures to circadian malalignment so that we can do things to protect them. Our goal is to really define a number of behavioral countermeasures to help people who are exposed to shift work.”

Specifically, the lab looks at the other pillars of health in relation to sleep in order to decrease the risk of disease and improve outcomes overall. Currently, Rynders elaborated, a study is being conducted on time-restrictive eating, a method that involves removing food ingestion at night. Future research is also planned to examine the potential benefits of physical activity and exercise.

“I really sought out this lab because I wanted to develop expertise in both clinical and molecular methods.” -Grissy Simé Mora, bioenergetics doctoral candidate

Advanced equipment is necessary to gather all the data used in the lab’s studies. Luckily, the lab’s campus facility has the necessary technology to get the job done. It consists of two hotel-style rooms, where participants stay for two to six days, connected to an antechamber that allows researchers to monitor them. The sound and light in each room are strictly regulated to simulate various sleep situations.

To monitor the way sleep impacts tissue function, it is necessary to draw blood from research participants on an hourly basis. To avoid disruptions, state-of-the-art through-the-wall IV technology is utilized. It consists of IV extensions that connect the participants’ rooms to the antechamber through a hole in the wall. This allows researchers to complete blood draws without ever entering the room, eliminating the risk of waking up participants.

“Since not many labs in the United States have the ability to do through-the-wall blood draws, we published a paper recently on how to do it,” said Grissy Simé Mora, bioenergetics doctoral candidate.

The lab also utilizes polysomnography, the frequently seen sleep study in movies and TV shows in which electrodes are placed on a person’s head.

“I really sought out this lab because I wanted to develop expertise in both clinical and molecular methods,” Simé Mora said.

Outside of collecting data through clinical studies, the Sleep and Metabolism Laboratory also designs and secures funding for research, analyzes data and releases publications based on its findings.

First established by founder Josiane Broussard in 2019, the Sleep and Metabolism Lab has since grown significantly. As research requires constant blood collection and meticulous observation, there are a number of opportunities for students to get involved. The team now has multiple graduate and undergraduate researchers who play an active role in data collection and analysis.

Reach Hayley Bisant at science@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.