Daily life and sleep in couples living with early-stage dementia
Daily Experiences Among Couples Living With Early-Stage Dementia: Implications for Daily Sleep and Long-Term Well-Being and Cognitive Function
This project looks at how daily stress and good moments affect sleep, mood, and memory in couples where one partner has early-stage dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11017074 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, both you and your partner will take part in an hour-long phone interview and in-person memory testing at the start. Then for seven days you will each answer brief smartphone surveys five times a day about stress and positive experiences while wearing a sleep tracker overnight. The study will enroll 150 married or cohabiting couples aged 60 and older where one partner has early-stage Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Researchers will use the daily reports and sleep data to see how each partner’s day-to-day experiences relate to sleep and longer-term well-being and cognitive changes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are married or cohabiting couples aged 60 or older in which one partner has early-stage Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia and both can complete brief interviews, wear a sleep tracker, and use a smartphone for daily surveys.
Not a fit: People with advanced dementia, those not living with a partner, or couples unable or unwilling to travel for in-person testing, use a smartphone, or wear a sleep device are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better sleep and emotional-support strategies for couples living with early-stage dementia to help preserve well-being and thinking skills.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have linked sleep problems to worse mood and cognitive decline in dementia, but combining daily smartphone surveys with wearable sleep tracking in both partners is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Polenick, Courtney a. — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Polenick, Courtney a.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.