RAPID: Collaborative Research: Evolution and variability of modern human sleep patterns

在这个RAPID项目中，研究人员将测量两个非工业化人群的褪黑激素水平和睡眠时间，这两个人群除了通电以外都很相似，以了解人造光以及人造光和自然光的相互作用如何影响睡眠。由于研究区域的电力线正在迅速延伸，因此在电力到达所有社区之前的有限时间内，这种实验设计是可能的。这项研究将有助于我们理解潜在的生物机制和人类睡眠模式的可变性。该项目将支持学生培训、国际研究合作以及公共和社区科学推广活动，并对了解工业化环境中的睡眠问题具有潜在的相关性。研究人员将收集两个Toba/Qom社区的褪黑激素水平和睡眠时间的数据。参与者将佩戴活动手表，并记日记记录睡眠模式和质量。唾液样本将被分析，以确定每个人的每日褪黑素发作。主要的预测是，在有人工光源的社区中，个人每天褪黑激素的分泌时间会晚一些，这种差异在冬季会最大，而且月光的任何影响都会降低睡眠质量，在没有人工光源的人群中更是如此。该项目将扩大我们对睡眠模式和睡眠调节压力的理解，这些可能在人类历史和进化中发挥了不同的作用，以及现代社会改变人类睡眠模式的方式。

In this RAPID project, the investigators will measure melatonin levels and timing of sleep in two non-industrialized populations that are similar except for access to electricity, to understand how sleep is affected by artificial light and the interaction of artificial and natural light exposures. Because power lines are quickly being extended in the research area, this experimental design is possible during a limited window of time before electricity reaches all communities. The research will contribute to our understanding of underlying biological mechanisms and variability of human sleep patterns. The project will support student training, international research collaborations, and public and community science outreach activities, and has potential relevance for understanding sleep problems in industrialized settings.The investigators will collect data on melatonin levels and sleep timing for individuals in each of two Toba/Qom communities. Participants will wear activity watches and keep diaries to document sleep patterns and quality. Saliva samples will be assayed to determine each individual's daily melatonin onset. The main predictions are that individuals in the community with artificial light will have a later time of daily melatonin onset, that differences will be greatest during the winter, and that any effect of moonlight would be to decrease sleep quality, more so in the population without artificial light. The project will expand our understanding of the spectrum of sleep patterns and sleep-regulatory pressures that may have played distinct roles in human history and evolution, and the ways in which modern societies have modified human sleep patterns.