Sleep/Wake Research Centre

12/10/2026

Celebrating Zoe Walsh! 🎓

We're incredibly proud of Zoe Walsh, who will soon graduate with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa.

Zoe recently featured in a Sunday Star Times article discussing research from her doctoral thesis. Drawing on survey data from our Moe Kura study and mothers' own stories of their experiences with Well Child Tamariki Ora services, Zoe's work shines a light on the realities of sleep for mothers and their children and the types of support that can make a difference.

It's exciting to see this important research reaching a wider audience, and we can't wait to see what Zoe does next.

You can read the article here: https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/361093454/brainwaves-what-mothers-sleep-reveals-about-support 💙

Disrupted sleep after having a baby is often dismissed as an unavoidable rite of passage. But what if poor maternal sleep is a reflection of something more?

30/09/2026

⭐ Research Participants Needed: Our Caffeine & Sleep Study is Back! ☕😴
Do you regularly consume caffeine? We're looking for participants to help us learn more about the relationship between caffeine consumption and sleep.

Who can take part?
We are looking for people who are:
• Currently living in Aotearoa New Zealand
• Aged 18-64 years old
• Working at least 30 hours per week
• In good general health
• A non-smoker
• A regular caffeine consumer

What’s involved?
First, you will complete a set of online questionnaires (20-30 minutes in total) to check if you are eligible to participate. If you are selected, you will need to wear a sleep/wake activity monitor day and night and complete a daily sleep diary for 14 days. You’ll need to complete these activities this year.

Interested? Find out more here: https://tinyurl.com/CaffeineSleepNZ

📢 We're moving quickly with this study, so please share this post with friends, whānau, colleagues, or anyone who might be interested.

Thank you for helping us advance sleep research in Aotearoa New Zealand!

11/09/2026

📺 Coming soon: Sleep on TVNZ 1 (14 September, 8.30pm) and TVNZ+
In this clip, Associate Professor Karyn O'Keeffe explores how sleep is shaped by both the natural light-dark cycle and our body's internal circadian clock, highlighting why sleeping at night is important for good sleep quality

Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa

09/09/2026

📺 Coming soon: Sleep on TVNZ 1 (14 September, 8.30pm) and TVNZ+
Researchers from the Sleep/Wake Research Centre contributed their expertise to this upcoming documentary. In this clip, Dr Dee Muller explores how sleep changes across the lifespan.

08/09/2026

😴 How does sleep change as we age?
In this clip from the upcoming documentary Sleep, Associate Professor Rosie Gibson highlights that sleep changes throughout our lives. Tune in to the documentary to find out more.

Watch on TVNZ 1 on 14 September at 8.30pm, or stream it on TVNZ+

07/09/2026

🌙 Shift work requires you to be awake when you would normally be sleeping
In this clip from the upcoming documentary Sleep, Professor Leigh Signal explains how shift work can affect overall health and wellbeing

Watch the documentary on TVNZ1 on 14 September at 8.30pm or stream it on TVNZ+

Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa

04/09/2026

😴✨ How much do you know about sleep?
Watch Sleep on TVNZ1 on 14 September at 8.30pm (or stream on TVNZ+) to learn more about the science of sleep

In this featured clip, Associate Professor Karyn O'Keeffe explains how melatonin works in the body and how it may help support sleep

We're excited to see the full documentary!

Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa

02/09/2026

📺 Don't miss Sleep on TVNZ1, airing 14 September at 8.30pm and streaming on TVNZ+

Our researchers from the Sleep/Wake Research Centre share their expertise throughout the documentary. In this segment, Professor Leigh Signal discusses the fascinating biological processes that shape our sleep timing, duration, and quality.

We're looking forward to seeing the final result!

Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa

21/07/2026

If you have a child aged 7-12 years who struggles with sleep or bedtimes, this study might be for you.

Sleep/Wake Researcher, Leigh Signal, is collaborating with researchers from the University of Otago to develop practical tools to help Kiwi kids get better sleep, and they are keen to hear what you think would be helpful, what you would be willing to try, and what you currently do.

You can find the link to the short questionnaire for the study here: https://redcap.link/BEDTIMESTUDY

10/07/2026

If you have a child aged 5-12 years who struggles with sleep or bedtimes, this study might be for you.

Sleep/Wake Researcher, Leigh Signal, is collaborating with researchers from the Univesity of Otago to develop practical tools to help kiwi kids get better sleep, and they are keen to hear what you think would be helpful, what you would be willing to try, and what you currently do.

You can find the link to the short questionnaire for the study here: https://redcap.link/BEDTIMESTUDY
More details in the original post 🙂

Is sleep a struggle at your place? We want to hear from parents or caregivers.

If you have a child aged 5-12 years who struggles with sleep or bedtimes, please consider taking our short questionnaire:
https://redcap.link/BEDTIMESTUDY

We are developing practical tools to help kiwi kids get better sleep, and we would love to hear what you think would be helpful, what you would be willing to try, and what you currently do.

You can also go in the draw to win one of five Gift Pay cards.