Michal Kahn

BACKGROUND Background: The increasing prevalence of consumer sleep-tracking technology has drawn attention to sleep anxiety, including orthosomnia– the maladaptive pursuit of perfect sleep, often driven by sleep-tracking data. However, not all sleep tracker users develop sleep anxiety or orthosomnia, suggesting that individual psychological characteristics may shape susceptibility. OBJECTIVE Objective: This cross-sectional study examined whether sleep tracker use is associated with sleep anxiety, and whether perfectionism and reliance on proxies for internal states moderate this association. METHODS Methods: A total of 1,050 individuals aged 18–75 (M = 35.4±13.7; 68.2% female) completed an online survey assessing sleep anxiety, sleep-tracker use, perfectionism, and the tendency to seek proxies for internal states. Associations were analyzed using generalized linear models. RESULTS Results: A significant perfectionism-by-tracker use interaction emerged for sleep anxiety (p = .03). Sleep-tracker users reported higher sleep anxiety than non-users only at high perfectionism levels (p = .004), with no group difference at low perfectionism levels (p = .85). In contrast, reliance on external proxies for internal states was associated with sleep anxiety (p < .001), but this association did not differ by tracker-use (p = .69). CONCLUSIONS Conclusions: These findings suggest that sleep tracker use is not uniformly associated with sleep anxiety. Instead, perfectionistic tendencies may identify individuals who are more susceptible to experiencing sleep anxiety in the context of sleep tracking, whereas reliance on proxies for internal states appears to represent a broader vulnerability associated with sleep anxiety regardless of tracker use. These results point to individual vulnerability profiles and underscore the value of considering psychological characteristics when evaluating the potential benefits and unintended consequences of consumer sleep-tracking technologies.

War-related experiences in children often result in significant psychological stress, frequently requiring professional intervention. The Huggy-Puppy Intervention (HPI) has demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating stress symptoms, yet its delivery has thus far depended on healthcare professionals and the use of a single doll type. This study aimed to evaluate a parent-delivered adaptation of the intervention, and examine whether the type of doll moderates treatment efficacy. A total of 160 Israeli children aged 3–8 years (M = 5.1 ± 1.4; 57% girls) were randomized to receive one of five doll types as part of the HPI, delivered by parents during the 2023 Hamas-Israel war. Doll types included the original puppy doll, as well as monkey, teddy-bear, dog, and bunny dolls. Parents received instructional videos on how to implement the intervention. Stress symptoms were assessed using online parent-reports at baseline and three weeks post-intervention. Additional measures included child attachment to the doll, parental compliance, and satisfaction with the intervention. Linear mixed models yielded significant large reductions in stress symptoms from pre- to post-intervention across all doll types (Cohen’s d = 0.94–0.97). Children exhibited lower attachment to the monkey dolls, and parents reported reduced satisfaction with these compared to other doll types. These findings support the efficacy of a parent-administered HPI in reducing war-related stress in children, with largely comparable outcomes across different doll types. This parent-delivered, adaptable approach enhances accessibility, offering a practical, cost-effective method for supporting children in crisis-affected areas where professional resources are limited.

The overall aim of the present study was to examine the daily patterns and relationships between sleep behavior, anxiety, mood (i.e., depression symptoms), and cognitive performance (i.e., reaction time) in esports athletes competing in an Oceanic Rocket League Championship Series regional event. Sixteen participants completed a daily sleep diary, an evening anxiety measure, and an afternoon mood measure and cognitive performance task. Measures were taken (a) precompetition, (b) across the competition days, and (c) postcompetition. We found that participants’ lights-out time was earliest across the competition nights. Sleep-onset latency gradually lengthened precompetition and across the competition nights, eventually exceeding normal limits. Wake after sleep onset was longest across the competition nights but remained within normal limits. Wake-up time was earliest at the start of the competition period but consistently late on most other days. Total sleep time was generally adequate but mildly reduced the night before the first day of competition. There was no significant relationship between anxiety and subsequent sleep nor a relationship between total sleep time and next day mood or cognitive performance. Future research should investigate whether these findings generalize to esports athletes from other games, at higher levels of competition, and to different start times.

Summary: Infant sleep problems have been associated with a myriad of adverse child and parent outcomes, yet whether these problems may pose a risk for parents on the road has received little research attention. This study sought to test whether mothers of infants with insomnia are at an elevated risk for vehicular crashes, by comparing their objectively measured driving performance with that of mothers of well‐sleeping infants and with that of women without children. Fifty‐four women from these three groups completed a simulated driving task. Outcome measures included standard deviation of lateral position, number of lane crossings, standard deviation of speed, average speed and maximum speed. Women additionally reported on their driving behaviour using the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire, and on sleep, sleepiness and insomnia symptoms using 7‐day sleep diaries and questionnaires. Mothers of infants with insomnia demonstrated greater lane deviation (Wald = 9.53, p = 0.009), higher maximum speed (Wald = 6.10, p = 0.04) and poorer self‐rated driving behaviour (Wald = 7.44, p = 0.02) compared with control groups. Analyses also indicated that driving performance in mothers of infants with insomnia tended to be poorer relative to control groups with the progression of time on task. While further research is needed to assess the scope of these effects, our findings suggest that parents, healthcare providers and policymakers should be aware of the potential consequences of infant sleep problems on road safety, and collaborate to establish strategies to mitigate these risks.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that parental cognitions about child's sleep may be an important factor underlying pediatric sleep problems. The current study aimed to (a) develop an assessment tool measuring parental understanding and misperceptions about baby's sleep (PUMBA‐Q); (b) validate the questionnaire using self‐report and objective sleep measures. Methods: There were 1,420 English‐speaking caregivers (68.0% mothers, 46.8% of children being females, mean age 12.3 months), who has completed online self‐reported questionnaires. The PUMBA‐Q, which was developed for this study, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS) and Maternal Cognitions about Infant Sleep Questionnaire (MCISQ) were included to evaluate participant's thoughts on their own or child's sleep. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was collected to access participant's subjective insomnia severity. Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire‐Revised (BISQ‐R) was used to assess parental‐reported child sleep. Auto‐videosomnography was used to record child's sleep. Results: Exploratory factor analysis indicated the best fit with a 4‐factor model using 23 items (RMSEA = .039). The four subscales were labeled: (a) Misperceptions about parental intervention; (b) Misperceptions about feeding; (c) Misperceptions about child's sleep; and (d) General anxiety of parents. Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach's alpha = .86). PUMBA‐Q scores were significantly associated with MCISQ ( r = .64, p < .01), DBAS ( r = .36, p < .01), ISI ( r = .29, p < .01), BISQ‐R ( r = .‐49, p < .01), objective child's total sleep time ( r = −.24, p < .01) and objective number of parental nighttime visits ( r = .26, p < .01). Conclusions: The results demonstrated that PUMBA‐Q 23 is a valid assessment tool for parental cognitions of child sleep. The link between parental cognitions and child sleep highlights the importance of managing parental cognitions about child sleep when treating pediatric sleep problems.