Holly M Rus

SleepScore Labs · Sleep Science

Introduction Bedroom temperature can influence nocturnal thermoregulation and sleep. To date, limited, small experimental studies have shown that bedroom temperatures outside the recommended range of 65 and 70°F can negatively impact sleep. However, this association has not been studied in a large-scale data set. Using over 3.75 million nights of o...

Introduction Seasonal effects in sleep are often attributed to day length; however, change in obligatory daily activities might also have an impact on sleep behavior. Longitudinal measurement using consumer sleep technology enables the observation of patterns in sleep behavior in the home environment. We analyzed the impact of parenthood and gender...

Introduction Allergies can impact sleep quality and, in turn, quality of life. Sleep is affected because allergens irritate nasal passages, which can make breathing more difficult, start an immune response, and directly interfere with sleep. Nasal congestion often is worse at night, and during the night some anti-allergic control processes of the b...

Introduction Weighted blankets are designed to create deep touch pressure stimulation, to simulate the feeling of being held or hugged. The deep pressure provided by a weighted blanket, along with consistent sensory input from its weight, is thought to work by lowering stress and reducing physiological arousal, thereby improving sleep. We tested wh...

Violent acts on university campuses are becoming more frequent. Enrollment rates of Latinos at universities is increasing. Research has indicated that youths are more susceptible to trauma, particularly Latinos. Thus, it is imperative to evaluate the validity of commonly used posttraumatic stress measures among Latino college students. The Impact o...

Objective Hundreds of scientific publications are produced annually that involve the measurement of cortisol in saliva. Intra- and inter-laboratory variation in salivary cortisol results has the potential to contribute to cross-study inconsistencies in findings, and the perception that salivary cortisol results are unreliable. This study rigorously...

Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform. Research suggests that Facebook may both enhance and undermine psychosocial constructs related to well-being, and that it may impair physiological stress recovery. However, little is known about its influence on stress reactivity. Using novel experimental methods, this study examined how...

Social media's influence on stress remains largely unknown. Conflicting research suggests that Facebook use may both enhance and undermine psychosocial constructs related to well-being. Using novel experimental methods, this study examined the impact of social media use on stress recovery. Facebook users (n = 92, 49 males, mean age 19.55 SD = 1.63)...

The aim of the current article is to provide a brief introduction to Bayesian statistics within the field of Health Psychology. Bayesian methods are increasing in prevalence in applied fields, and they have been shown in simulation research to improve the estimation accuracy of structural equation models, latent growth curve (and mixture) models, a...

Background Social media provides unprecedented opportunities for enhancing health communication and health care, including self-management of chronic conditions such as diabetes. Creating messages that engage users is critical for enhancing message impact and dissemination. Purpose This study analyzed health communications within ten diabetes-relat...