Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "The relation between physical activity and sleep in older adults. The associations with movement behaviours and effects of a real-life lifestyle program." "Jannique van Uffelen" "Physical Activity, Sports & Health Research Group" "Both physical activity and sleep have been identified as crucial determinants of healthy ageing. However, as people age, they become less physically active and more sedentary. Sleep quantity and sleep quality also tend to decline with ageing, resulting in one in two older adults suffering from sleep problems. Even if the decline in sleep does not result in a diagnosed sleep problem, it has far reaching consequences for an individuals’ health and wellbeing. Sleep problems are predominantly treated by means of sleep medications, but these are not always safe to use in the long run. Lifestyle interventions, behavioural change and other non-pharmaceutical treatment options are therefore the preferred choice for maintaining optimal sleep and for the management of sleep problems. Regular physical activity is one of these options.   This PhD research aims to progress the knowledge about the relation between physical activity and sleep in older adults by 1) systematically reviewing the literature on effects of physical activity programs on sleep in older adults; 2) examining associations of time reallocations between sedentary behaviour and physical activity with sleep; and 3) evaluating the effects of a real-life lifestyle program ‘Lekker Actief’ on physical activity and sleep; and examining associations between changes in physical activity and sleep. From the results of the literature study described in Chapter two it can be concluded that physical activity programs in more controlled settings do positively affect sleep outcomes in generally healthy older adults. More specifically, moderate intensity exercise programs, with a frequency of three times per week and a duration of twelve weeks up to six months that include a combination of types of exercises, positively affect sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbances, wake time after sleep onset, sleep duration and sleep efficiency. The empirical studies are described in Chapters three and four. The associations of time reallocations between sedentary behaviour and physical activity with sleep are examined in a cross-sectional study among 439 adults aged 55+ years (Chapter three). There are no positive associations between time reallocations and sleep. However, replacing sedentary behaviour to light intensity physical activity is associated with decreased sleep efficiency.The effect of the ‘Lekker Actief’ program is examined in a controlled intervention study among 357 adults aged 55+ years (Chapter four). This real-life lifestyle program is effective in increasing physical activity by almost 20 minutes a day. However, the program does not have an effect on sleep. Furthermore, although changes in physical activity are associated with sleep, the associations are small and not clinically relevant. There are several underlying biological mechanisms for a positive relation between physical activity and sleep. In addition, the findings from our literature study indicate that physical activity programs can improve sleep outcomes in controlled settings. Although a positive effect of physical activity on sleep could not be confirmed in our empirical studies in a real-life setting, the biological mechanisms and findings from the literature do provide support for physical activity as part of non-pharmaceutical strategies to optimize sleep and prevent sleep problems. More research is therefore needed, taking our recommendations for future research into account, to further clarify the relation between physical activity and sleep in older adults." "Quality sleep in residential care centres" "Katrin Gillis" "Cluster Gezondheidszorg" "One in three Belgians struggles with sleep problems, half of residents in residential care centres (WZC) take sleep medication and one in three of residents with dementia show nocturnal restlessness. A good night's sleep cannot be taken for granted. Sleeping well improves quality of life. But how do you achieve this in a residential care home with residents who are as unique as their sleep problems? In this PWO, the research team looks for insights to improve the beliefs that staff in WZC have about good sleep and sleep problems in older adults. After providing education on sleep and sleep problems, they will develop an implementation strategy in co-creation with staff that supports them in improving sleep consolidation and sleep hygiene, optimising stimuli control and applying relaxation techniques to residents with sleep problems. Researchers in this project expect that this will improve residents' subjective sleep quality and reduce the use of sleep medication." "The role of sleep in recovery and performance" "Toon de Beukelaar" "Movement Control & Neuroplasticity Research Group" "It is well established that recovery is crucial for athletic performance, however, research only scratches the surface of the valuable contribution of sleep to this multifactorial process. In a first work package we will screen, provide information and follow up on sleep habits, sleep hygiene, duration and quality of elite athletes in various (team) sports. This longitudinal monitoring will render important insights regarding sleep in relation to training load, fatigue, injury mechanisms and the evolution from functional over-reaching towards overtraining. In a second work package, we will investigate the effects of acute sleep restriction and improvement on performance, while controlling for circadian effects. In a third work package, we will zoom in on the hypothesis that especially slow wave sleep (SWS) is crucial for recovery. We will non-invasively up- or downregulate slow wave activity (SWA) to investigate the causal effects of SWS on performance." "The role of sleep in recovery and performance" "Toon de Beukelaar" "Movement Control & Neuroplasticity Research Group" "It is well established that recovery is crucial for athletic performance, however, research only scratches the surface of the valuable contribution of sleep to this multifactorial process. In a first work package we will screen, provide information and follow up on sleep habits, sleep hygiene, duration and quality of elite athletes in various (team) sports. This longitudinal monitoring will render important insights regarding sleep in relation to training load, fatigue, injury mechanisms and the evolution from functional over-reaching towards overtraining. In a second work package, we will investigate the effects of acute sleep restriction and improvement on performance, while controlling for circadian effects. In a third work package, we will zoom in on the hypothesis that especially slow wave sleep (SWS) is crucial for recovery. We will non-invasively up- or downregulate slow wave activity (SWA) to investigate the causal effects of SWS on performance." "Correlations between upper airway endoscopy and physiological traits of obstructive sleep apnea." "Olivier Vanderveken" "Translational Neurosciences (TNW)" "Site, pattern and degree of upper airway collapse is correlated with different obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment outcomes. Currently, assessment requires additional, invasive endoscopy techniques. In the current research proposal I aim to non-invasively associate endoscopic outcomes with baseline overnight sleep study parameters using the technical and analytical skills from the group of Drs. Wellman and Sands at Harvard Medical School and the high quality clinical data of the Antwerp University Hospital. Combining the unique features of both groups into one research project will leverage sleep medicine in both the US and Belgium, paving the way to personalized OSA management." "Promoting healthy sleep in adolescents: an intervention mapping approach" "Benedicte Deforche" "Department of Head and Skin, Department of Public Health and Primary Care" "Despite the high prevalence of sleep deprivation in adolescents and the significant impact of such restriction on their physical and mental health, there has been little research effort targeted at changing sleep patterns through interventions. Therefore, this project will first identify the most important determinants of sleep behavior and then target these determinants through an intervention to improve adolescent sleep patterns." "Functional respiratory imaging to predict treatment outcome in obese children with obstructive sleep apnea." "Stijn Verhulst" "Laboratory Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics (LEMP)" "Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by intermittent collapse of the upper airway during sleep resulting in an abnormal sleep pattern and drops in oxygen concentration. It affects up to 50% of obese children and can be considered as one of obesity's most important complications. It results in neurocognitive impairment but can also augment the obesity-related cardiovascular morbidity. Therefore, a correct treatment is mandatory. Adenotonsillectomy, the classical first line treatment, has a success percentage of only 50%. This implies that 50% of obese children with OSA are at risk of being exposed to unnecessary surgery. The aim of this research project is to identify markers that could predict the outcome of this surgery in obese children with OSA. In a first study, we will identify markers that correlate with the severity of OSA in these children. More classical markers include for instance body mass index, neck circumference, tonsil size, etc. We will also use a more innovative approach with parameters obtained from ultra low dose CT-scanning and functional imaging methods (computational fluid dynamics) to describe more detailed physical characteristics of the airway (volume, cross sectional area, resistance). Second, we will identify markers that predict the success of treatment. Finally, we will apply virtual surgery on these images to determine if a specific child will benefit from surgery." "Understanding High-Dimensional Time-Series: Topological and Visual Analytics for Characterizing Sleep Apnea." "Jan AERTS" "Centre for Statistics, Catholic University of Leuven" "This project studies insight generation and exploration of the rich measurements used to diagnose sleep apnea. The current diagnostic process involves a full-night polysomnography (PSG). PSG records containing hours of measurements are summarized using a single-value score. This score does not provide sufficient information to estimate sleep apnea disease severity reliably. Consequently, there is a need for novel representations that describe sleep apnea. We propose developing topological and visual analytics methods to support clinicians in extracting information from PSG measurements. The goal is to facilitate them in developing novel scores that describe sleep apnea and reduce the scoring time of PSG records leading to quicker diagnoses and better-informed treatment selection. Topological Data Analysis algorithms create a compressed representation of complex data and capture the global structure of the data. Interactive visualizations of these models allow for a qualitative understanding of signal properties without requiring in-depth mathematical knowledge. In addition, interfaces for such models provide state of-the-art visualization challenges because these models create complex interconnected networks. Clinicians are interested in the dynamics of the measures at different resolutions and need to combine information from multiple sensors in their analyses." "(AH@Care) Heart Core: Stress reduction and sleep in caregivers and students" "Julie Vanderlinden" "Cluster Gezondheidszorg" "The healthcare sector is under enormous pressure. With rising staff shortages and increasing responsibilities, absenteeism is high and staff turnover is on the rise. This means hands at the bedside are thinning rather than growing. With increased workload, caregivers and students often experience stress, which can be associated with sleep problems and decreased well-being and engagement in work. Despite the current commitment to retention and reintegration of caregivers, there is still too little focus on the mental capital of caregivers (of the future). This project therefore aims to bet on a large-scale (subjective and objective) exploration of stress and sleep among bedside caregivers in shifts (nurses, healthcare workers and midwives). Subsequently, this research will focus on the composition and implementation of a low-threshold and accessible programme to strengthen mental health (Heart Core) among caregivers and students. Using an RCT, the effects of the Heart Core programme will be mapped and the programme will be evaluated. Subsequently, existing good practices of retention and reintegration policies in health care and other sectors will be the subject of a summary literature review, which will form the basis for cross-fertilisation between this research and health care employers. In the final phase, there will be room for valorisation and knowledge transfer to (future) care providers, care employers, care policy and other employers (organisations) outside the care sector." "Integrated approach for the assessment of the anatomical traits for the prospective selection of obstructive sleep apnea patients for upper airway stimulation or its combination therapy with mandibular advancement device." "Olivier Vanderveken" "Translational Neurosciences (TNW)" "Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic disease that is caused by partial or complete upper airway collapse during sleep. OSA is a highly prevalent disorder linked to a range of considerable health risks. Application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is regarded as the gold standard treatment for more severe OSA. The clinical effectiveness of CPAP is often hampered by the inadequate adherence to CPAP mainly due to limited tolerance of the treatment. The techniques that are currently used for the selection of OSA patients for alternative, non-CPAP treatment options such as oral appliance therapy, with mandibular advancement device (MAD), or upper airway stimulation (UAS) synchronized with ventilation, are rather invasive.An integrated, innovative approach that might allow for non-invasive assessment of the anatomical traits of the individual upper airway will be evaluated. The hypothesis of this research project is that these anatomical traits, site of upper airway collapse and degree of pharyngeal collapsibility, can be derived from the respiratory flow signal that is measured during each routine sleep study anyway. The predictive value of this innovative and non-invasive method will be analyzed, also in comparison to the techniques that are currently employed for this purpose of patients' selection. Whether the innovative and non-invasive approach has a better predictive value towards a successful treatment outcome with UAS with or without MAD will be investigated. The main goal is to improve the results with these treatment options for OSA based on the non-invasive assessment of the anatomical traits of the upper airway in the individual OSA patient."