Pfeiffer, Ashley

•  DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 

• B.S., Exercise Science, University of Mary, Bismarck, ND

The main goal of this project is to develop an understanding of effective sleep hygiene education methods in older adults and their possible effect on sleep health. A long-term goal is to create an easy sleep hygiene education system that can be implemented by all healthcare practitioners to improve sleep health, which potentially could reduce the risk of developing chronic disease.

This study will employ a multitude of subjective and objective markers for assessing sleep health. The proposed study is orientated around two specific aims. The first aim is to evaluate the efficacy of sleep hygiene education in older adults using a 10-minute educational video. The second aim is to assess the effectiveness of daily automated text messaging to augment the sleep hygiene education. Collectively these aims are predicted on the framework that older adults are capable of health behavior change through the use of technology. The significance of the work lay in its potential to establish the efficacy of two technological tools, an educational video and daily text messaging, to create behavior change leading to improved sleep. By improving sleep, this could have a profound impact on public health, leading to happier, healthier individuals. The innovation of the work lay in exploring sleep hygiene tips from a technological perspective and trialing commercial sleep trackers for the assessment of sleep health in our older communities.