Don't Sleep On It!

The place to get news and fun regarding sleep and psychology! 


podcastPillow Talk (Podcasts)

The Science of Personality features Dr. Krizan in the episode “The Psychology of Nightmares.”  The perfect topic to discuss in October focuses on the phenomena of nightmares and their relation to psychology. 

The Science of Personality Podcast episode The Psychology of Sleep,” with Dr. Krizan, discusses the relation of sleep to personality. The episode focuses on how lost sleep and circadian misalignment         impact our thoughts and behaviors.


While You Were Snoozing (News) sleep

From Our Lab

How sleep and fatigue shape statements in evidence: A psycho-legal perspective

Outside the Lab

Talking to sleepwalkers? Response to communication efforts in Disorders of Arousals

Lighting the path forward: the value of sleep- and circadian-informed lighting interventions in shift work

Decoding the weekend sleep dilemma: the health impacts of catching up on sleep

 


statsREMedies for a Goodnights Sleep (Infographics)

Ready to snooze like a pro? These infographics can be your new bedtime best friend, guiding you through the art of catching quality Z’s. Whether you're looking to beat restless nights, understand what happens while you dream, or just want to wake up feeling like a morning superhero, these visual guides make it fun and easy! 

 

 

 

infographic

Dream Diary Clubdream

Here, we dive into our team’s wildest dreams—from the hilarious to the mysterious and everything in between! We’ll share the strangest scenes and epic adventures our minds create while we sleep. Join us for a peek into the bizarre world of dreams, and let’s see where our imaginations take us! 

"After watching way too many seafood boil videos, I had the weirdest dream—two crabs were fighting on a beach, full-on gladiator style. Their claws were clashing, the waves were crashing, and it felt like I was watching some epic crab drama unfold. I didn’t know my seafood binge could spark such a random, wild dream!" - Undergraduate RA

"It all started in math class when we had to write down who we had a crush on. The person I liked wrote down that they had a crush on me, too. One of my friends encouraged me to ask him out, so I did. But things took a wild turn—he ended up kidnapping me.

Somehow, he aged 30 years overnight and turned out to be part of the mafia, so he wasn’t cute anymore. While I was kidnapped, I hacked into the White House and told them where I was. A team that felt straight out of Criminal Minds came to rescue me.

I managed to escape by running out of a garage door and jumping over a car to safety. Meanwhile, my friend blew up a car outside, taking him out, but not before he managed to shoot me in the leg. For some reason, the last part of my dream kept repeating, so I ended up with two gunshot wounds—one near my hip.

When I finally returned to school a few days later, no one even asked why I was gone or on crutches, which felt pretty rude." - Undergraduate RA

"I was reminiscing on an old after-dark that happened when Ariana Grande came, and I got to drive her to the airport and talk with her. I could not remember what year it happened, so I traveled back in time to the event to ask people what year it was because I could not find the photo I had with her. I traveled back in time, and nobody told me what year it was until I saw Alex, a friend in sub, and asked him what year it was, and he said 2022. I said thanks and traveled back to the future so I could find this photo and show everyone that I did, in fact, meet her." - Undergraduate Student

"My dream was at home or some sort of event place/mall school. We were all chilling and looking at Taylor Swift news. All of a sudden, aliens started invading Earth. We all had to band up together to survive. Casey (my sister's boyfriend), Jessica (my sister), and Austin (my boyfriend) were there, along with my parents. I wanted us to go get camping gear and stuff for survival. I then wanted us to leave and go out into the woods to create a camp. We would have to make a camp near a dam to have electricity for a while." - Undergraduate Student

Dream on!


Previous Undergraduate Research Assistants

Jenn Demiter, M.S., TLMHC

Jenn, a former research assistant, is a current therapist specializing in helping individuals and couples navigate relationships, trauma, anxiety, depression, and self-growth. Using a Psychodynamic and Trauma-based approach, Jenn integrates ACT, IFS, mindfulness, and EMDR to promote healing and change. Jenn earned a B.S. in Psychology and Criminology from Iowa State in 2018 and a Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree from Drake University. With experience in both community mental health and private practice, they take a compassionate, collaborative approach, empowering clients to explore their experiences and reach their goals.

Kathryn Lang, M.S., Doctoral Intern

Kathryn, a former research assistant, is a master-level clinician pursuing her doctoral degree as an intern at Vail Health Behavioral Health. Kathryn earned their undergraduate degree in psychology from Iowa State and a master’s in clinical psychology from Western Carolina University. A generalist clinician, Kathryn specializes in sports and performance psychology and provides emotion-focused couples therapy. Grounded in cognitive behavioral and acceptance-based approaches, she takes a collaborative, biopsychosocial perspective in her work with clients aged 13 and older. In her free time, she enjoys preparing for RAGBRAI, hiking, and spending time with her dog, Ollie.

Tessa Logan, M.S.

Tessa, a former research assistant, earned a B.S. in psychology with a minor in statistics in 2020 at Iowa State University before completing an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at California State University, Fullerton, in 2024. They gained clinical experience as a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at Phoenix House – Lake View Terrace, providing community-based mental health counseling to children and adolescents.

Charlotte E. Moser, PhD

Charlotte, a former research assistant, is a current social psychologist researching how privileged identities can be leveraged to promote social justice. Charlotte earned undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Iowa State before completing a PhD at the University of Kansas. Now a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder, they work with Dr. Tiffany Ito and Dr. Eva Pietri. They enjoy reading, hiking, and spending time with their partner and two cats in their free time.

Kristin Porstmann

Kristin, a former research assistant, is a current graduate student pursuing a Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree at the University of Northern Iowa. With a background in psychology and a minor in child, adult, and family services, they aim to become a licensed professional counselor in Iowa. Passionate about making a difference, Kristin hopes to work in a non-profit or private practice setting to support individuals on their mental health journey.

Teri Schnelle, M.A.

Teri, a former research assistant, is the Director of Projects and Partnerships in the Division of Student Life at the University of Iowa. In this role, they lead strategic projects, oversee the Office of Assessment, Improvement, and Research, and foster connections between the DSL and academic programs. Teri also serves as the Project Director for the Office on Violence Against Women Campus Program Grant. They earned a B.S. from Iowa State University and an M.A. from the University of Iowa and grew up on a farm near Laurel, Iowa.

Meagen Wistrom

Meagen, a former research assistant, is currently earning her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an Emphasis in Autism from Ball State University. majored in Psychology and minored in HDFS. Meagen currently works full-time at LEARN Behavioral as a behavioral technician. She is from Kronenwetter, WI, and is most interested in researching how sleep can affect an individual's mental health. More specifically if lack of sleep can lead an individual to have more symptoms for a mental health diagnosis. Meagen enjoys reading romance books in her free time and going to concerts with her friends and family.