Possilbe Dissolution of D10 Unemployment Desk???

Yes D10ers you read it in the headlines. I, Boots himself, may be leaving the unemployment desk, this time for a bit longer. "Boots found a job!?" you're probably asking yourself. Well, no not really. But I have really high hopes for this study I applied for. I have copied and pasted the details of it for you all below.

Option #1: We are studying the effect of sleep deprivation on the body clock’s response to light.

The study takes 7 weeks in total and it always starts on a Monday. On the first day of the study you will need to come to the lab for about 1 hour to collect the equipment and go through the study with one of the research assistants in the lab. Throughout the entire study, you will need to wear two pieces of equipment – one is a wrist monitor worn like a watch, and one is a light monitor worn around your neck. You will also be asked to complete several logs and questionnaires during each day of the study. For the first week of the study you must sleep at home according to a strict schedule that we will assign you. This schedule will be similar to your typical sleep schedule but with the same exact bedtime and wake time every day. You will also be asked to call the lab’s voice mail system before you go to sleep and when you wake up. During the first week you will also have to visit the lab to have your equipment downloaded so that we can make sure that you are following the prescribed sleep schedule and adhering to the study rules. These visits will take about half an hour.

At the end of the first week you will come to the lab where we will keep you awake all night in a dimly lit room to collect saliva samples from you every half hour. During this time you may watch TV or movies, read, or engage in other sedentary leisure activities, but you may not use a laptop computer. Then you will return to sleeping at home for another week.

At the end of the second week you will come to the lab for a 5 day stay in our lab. You cannot nap during the day and on each night you may be asked to stay awake past your usual bedtime in very dim light. Alternatively you may be asked to go to bed earlier than your usual bedtime. During 3 mornings in the lab we will expose you to bright light for a few hours. Food will be provided. You must remain in the lab for the entire 5 days.

You will then have a 9 day break. The final three weeks of the study are similar to the first three weeks. If you complete the entire 7 week study you will receive $2000. You will receive a check in the mail 3 to 4 weeks after completion of the study. There will be two other people participating with you.


Option #2: We are studying the ability of melatonin and light to reset the body clock. The results of this study could be used to develop methods or techniques for people who need to reset their body clock e.g. night-shift workers or jet-travelers.

The study takes 4 weeks in total and it always starts on a Monday (considered Day 1 of the study). It includes two 5 day Lab sessions in the 2^nd and 4^th weeks of the study; these will start on a Monday afternoon and end on the following Saturday evening. You will spend a total of 10 days and 10 nights in our lab. During the rest of the study you will sleep at home but you must sleep according to a strict schedule that we will assign you. This schedule will be similar to your typical sleep schedule but with the same exact bedtime and wake time every day. If you successfully complete the study, you will receive $1500. There will be three other subjects participating in the study at the same time as you.

Throughout the entire study, you wear a piece of equipment; a wrist monitor worn like a watch. On the first day of the study you will need to come to the lab for about 1 hour to collect the equipment and go through the procedures and rules of the study with one of our staff. For the first 7 days of the study you will sleep at home on the set schedule. Every 2 or 3 days you will have to visit the lab to have your equipment downloaded so that we can make sure that you are following the prescribed sleep schedule and adhering to the study rules. These visits will take about half an hour.

On Monday afternoon in the 2^nd week of the study (Day 8), you will come to the lab for the first 5 day Lab session. You must remain in the lab for the entire time until the session ends on Saturday evening; you will be here continuously for 5 days and 5 nights. On the first and last days of each lab session there will be what we call a Lazy Boy session. We will ask you to stay awake overnight in dim light, reclined in a Lazy Boy chair. During this time we will collect saliva samples from you every half hour while you watch TV or movies, read, or talk to other subjects. Saliva is collected by rolling a cylinder of cotton around in your mouth and placing it in a test tube. Food will be provided. On the other 3 days you will live on a 4 hour schedule. In other words, you will be awake for 2.5 hours, then recline on folding beds and sleep for 1.5 hours, then stay awake for 2.5 hours, then sleep for 1.5 hours and so on all day and all night for 3 days.

Once a day on these 3 days of the study you will either be given a melatonin pill or you will be exposed to 2 hours of bright light. Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body at night and it is sold over the counter in drug stores or health food stores. The dose we are giving you is very low and it’s a standard dose. Melatonin is thought to be a very safe substance. The bright light that we will expose you to is brighter than indoor lighting, but is much dimmer than sunlight on a bright, sunny day. We will show you how bright this light is if you come to the lab to learn more about the study.

The 3^rd and 4^th weeks of the study will be very similar to the first 2 weeks of the study. There will be a home sleep section (days 13 – 21) followed by another 5 day Lab session (days 22 – 27). This will conclude your study participation.

Now I know what you're thinking....Boots, this is perfect for you. How did it take you so long to find this. I don't know either loyal readers! But I do know this...when destiny calls, your cell phone better be on silent so as not to disturb your regimented sleep schedule!