Leader:
Professor Janne Grønli
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology.
We all experience stress in our lives, whether it is brought on by our jobs, our personal lives or even just standing in traffic jam. Stress is inevitable and can impact our lives in many ways. In general, stress is good for us. But sometimes it can take a serious toll on our everyday functions — especially disturbing our sleep, circadian rhythms and our brains’ ability to adapt to the environment
The main research focus of Bergen Stress and Sleep Group is
- the role of stress in physiological and psychological recovery
- causes of disturbed sleep and circadian rhythm (especially shift work and light exposure)
- measurement of sleep quality and circadian rhythms
- effects of acute and chronic stressors in different stages in life- on wakefulness, sleep and circadian rhythms
- the relationship between stress, sleep and mental health (affective disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder),
Our approach is essentially translational, we use clinical and human data in forming our animal model research, and vice versa. This allows us to study biological and psychological consequences after shiftwork, in affective disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, in the human population and potential animal models thereof which allow identification of potential markers for risk. In these endeavors, we collaborate with partners at the local, national and international levels.
