Why Sleep Matters at Glasgow Science Festival

Published: 21 June 2018

Dr Maria Gardani, Lecturer at the School of Psychology, took part in a sleep workshop and expert panel discussion as part of Glasgow Science Festival on Tuesday 12 June.

Dr Maria Gardani, Lecturer at the School of Psychology, took part in a sleep workshop and expert panel discussion as part of Glasgow Science Festival on Tuesday 12 June.

The talks, held in the Sir Charles Wilson Lecture Theatre, were chaired by Dr David Duncan, Chief Operating Officer & Mental Health Champion at the University of Glasgow, and were attended by over 100 members of the public.

Guests were invited to join a workshops in yoga, mindfulness or sleep, followed by a discussion on the benefits of physical interventions and music on mental wellbeing.

Dr Gardani was joined by Dr Satu Baylan and Dr Charles Heriot-Maitland from the Institute of Health & Wellbeing and Dr Fiona Mitchell, University of Strathclyde, for a discussion covering topics including sleep, mindful music listening, developing a compassionate mind and the links between physical activity and mental wellbeing.

Dr Gardani focused on how to evaluate and improve sleep, as well as offering practical strategies for overcoming common problems.

Prior to the event, attendees were asked to keep a sleep diary to record sleeping patterns based on bedtimes and length of sleep. During the workshop, participants discussed the benefits of keeping a sleep diary as one way to improve sleep quality.

Maria said: “I enjoyed the event and people had really interesting questions! Engaging with the public is a fantastic way to communicate research and helps researchers to strengthen further their communication and dissemination skills.

“Research is not done in isolation from the general public and our aim as researchers and scientists should be to engage with wider and diverse audiences to reach in our local and national communities.”


First published: 21 June 2018