UAsleepstudy, 800 I ST NW (2026)

05/11/2025

🎉 SLUMBRx+MOVE at APHA 2025!
The SLUMBRx+MOVE team proudly represented at the 153rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Washington, DC! 🏛️✨

📚 SLUMBRx+MOVE Team:
1️⃣ Drowsy, Drunken, and Distracted Driving: The Impact of Impaired Driving in Rural Communities: presented by Abby Barton, marking her first oral presentation at a national conference! 👏
2️⃣ Multitasking Behind the Wheel: Examining the Influence of Overconfidence in Fueling Distracted Driving Behaviors: featuring Brooks Morgan’s first research poster presentation! 🎉
3️⃣ Technology-Driven Approaches to Evaluating Adipose and Sleep-Associated Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors in Underserved Communities (Roundtable Presentation) delivered by the MOVE Research Initiative director, Dr. Amanda Wilkerson🎙️

💤 SLUMBRx Lab:
1️⃣ Resilience and Insomnia: Implications for Cardiometabolic Risk in a Rural Southeastern Population (Podium Presentation), presented by doctoral student, Sarah Flora. Ms. Flora’s abstract was one of only five selected to receive a student award. Congratulations Sarah!🥇
2️⃣ The Impact of Sleep Apnea and Adiposity on Cardiometabolic Health in an Underserved Rural Community (Podium Presentation, was delivered by Sarah Flora. Sarah kicked off the Labs presentations with her outstanding delivery!

3️⃣ Social Determinants Associated with Cardiometabolic Disease Risk in Underserved Populations: Considerations for Community-Based Programming (Podium Presentation)
&
4️⃣ Unraveling Sleep Science: A Theory of Planned Behavior Model Linking Sleep Hygiene to Sleep Outcomes (Podium Presentation), presented by Dr. Adam Knowlden.

👏 We are incredibly proud of Abby and Brooks for their outstanding presentations, and of our entire SLUMBRx+MOVE team including Hailey Crowe, MJBailey, and Ryan Jones. Although they were unable to attend this year they assisted equally in preparing the presentation materials.

24/10/2025

🧠 Doctoral student Sarah Flora presented her research examining the relationship between insomnia and resilience to public health students and faculty during today’s RAD meeting.

🌎 Sarah will share her findings with a national audience at this year’s American Public Health Association Conference. Sarah was awarded one of five highly competitive student awards for her abstract.

👏 Congratulations and best of luck with your upcoming presentation, Sarah!

10/10/2025

SLIMBRx Study Update! 💤

Associations Between Total Sleep Time and Positive and Negative Suicidal Ideation: A Path Analysis in a Rural Community Sample

How much you sleep could play a powerful role in shaping the way you think, not just about your day, but about your life!

📈Figure illustrating conceptual model linking sleep neural circuitry with positive and negative suicidal ideations.

🔹 Objective:
This study examined whether objectively measured total sleep time (TST) was related to positive and negative suicidal ideation in a rural U.S. sample.

🔹 Method:
Participants wore wrist-based actigraphy devices for 7 consecutive nights to track average TST. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Positive and Negative Su***de Ideation (PANSI) scale.

🔹 Results:

Each additional hour of sleep was linked to a 1.5-point increase in positive ideation (protective thoughts).

Each hour less of sleep was associated with a 1.7-point rise in negative suicidal ideation (risk thoughts).

Findings suggest that shorter sleep duration may serve as a behavioral marker of su***de risk.

🔹 Why it matters:
Even modest improvements in sleep duration could promote more hopeful, self-protective thinking patterns, highlighting sleep as a crucial factor in su***de prevention frameworks.

🧠 Sleep health and mental health are deeply interconnected.

Highlights

✅ Longer sleep → more frequent protective thoughts (↑ PI)
⚠️ Shorter sleep → higher negative suicidal ideation (↑ NSI)
📊 Objective sleep measures may improve su***de-risk assessment

04/10/2025

🚨 SLUMBRx is back! 🚨

We’re excited to announce that study recruitment is resuming this Spring semester!

🗓️ Enrollment runs January–May 2026
👨‍🔬 We’re especially seeking men to join our study (but female volunteers are still welcome!)
💤 Participants receive a free home sleep test reviewed by a board-certified sleep doctor
🏃🏿🏃‍♀️Volunteers also get an in-depth analysis of their physical activity and other health measures.
💳 Plus, you’ll earn a $200 gift card for taking part!

👉 Tap the link in our bio to learn more or sign up today!

28/08/2025

🌟 The spotlight is shining brightly once again on SLUMBRx Lab doctoral student & research assistant, Sarah Flora! 🌟

Sarah has been awarded a Student Presentation Award from the Public Health Education and Promotion Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) for her top scored abstract, “Resilience and Insomnia: Implications for Cardiometabolic Risk in a Rural Southeastern Population.”

She will be recognized at the PHEHP Social on November 3 during the Annual APHA Conference in Washington, D.C. where she will be presented with a $200 stipend and award plaque🏆💰🎉

Congratulations, Sarah, on this incredible honor! 👏

14/08/2025

“Lights out for better days ahead! 🌙✨ Dr. Adam Knowlden and doctoral research assistant Sarah Flora sat down with WBRC News to share why quality sleep is essential for incoming UA students this fall. 💤📚 Catch the full story — link in bio!”

11/08/2025

Big congrats to our newest SLUMBRx Lab research assistant, Brooks Morgan 🎉 Brooks earned a $500 travel grant from the Undergraduate Research Office to present his poster, “Multitasking Behind the Wheel: Examining the Influence of Overconfidence in Fueling Distracted Driving Behaviors” 🚗📊 at the 2025 American Public Health Association Conference in Washington, D.C. this November.

We’re proud of you, Brooks — and this is just the beginning! 👏✨

02/05/2025

Congratulations to SLUMBRx Lab Research Assistant Trevor Jones on earning his master’s degree this weekend! Trevor aspires to attend medical school and has consistently seized every opportunity to bring that dream closer to reality. Outside of academics, I often saw Trevor at the gym we both frequent—always striving to improve himself. All of us in the health science faculty are incredibly proud of you, Trevor!

Congratulations as well to undergraduate research assistant Alexis Drum on graduating with her Bachelor of Science! It was a pleasure for Sarah and me to work with you in the lab last year. We’re excited to see what you accomplish next!

A special congratulations also goes to doctoral student Sarah Flora, who, along with her research partner Gracie Avery, recently earned their Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) credentials. They both knocked the exam out of the park!

Congratulations to all!
–Dr. Knowlden

10/04/2025

SLUMBRx Lab Research Assistants Sarah Flora and Abby Barton presented at the CHES Research Celebration and the Department of Health Science Research Symposium.

01/04/2025

Undergraduate SLUMBRx Lab Research Assistant, Abby Barton (.bartt), presented her poster examining eating behavior correlates of adipose and sleep health indices at the 2025 University of Alabama Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Conference. At this juncture, Abby has presented six papers at regional and national conferences! Last year she received third place for her poster presentation at the Institute for Rural Health Research Conference. Recently, Abby was appointed as the liaison for the Office for Undergraduate Research. As part of her responsibilities she will help connect undergraduate students with research opportunities available at UA. Congratulations on your many accomplishments, Abby!

31/03/2025

Please join me in congratulating SLUMBRx Lab Coordinator, Sarah Flora, for being named the Department of Health Science Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year! Since joining the SLUMBRx lab two years ago, Sarah has been instrumental in every aspect of the lab’s success. Part of her work in the lab entails working closely with participants to ensure they complete all study activities. She also coordinates all of the logistics associated with enrolling participants. Sarah has not only excelled with data collection, she also has an impressive record of research dissemination. In the past two years, Sarah has presented 22 papers at regional and national conferences and has published 4 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. She currently has a first authored paper under review in which she analyzed all sleep health education programs implemented among college student populations. In additional to her research responsibilities, Sarah serves as an instructor of record for the department and assists with mentoring new undergraduate and masters students working in the SLUMBRx lab. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sarah is a very kind and diligent young professional and paints a bright future as an emerging scholar and leader in the field of health education and public health. Sarah will be recognized for her accomplishments this Friday, April 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM as part of the University of Alabama Honor’s Day celebrations! Congratulations Sarah ()! 👏
-Dr. Adam Knowlden ()

17/03/2025

Thank you for prioritizing sleep health for UA students!

UAsleepstudy