Did you know the brain is hard at work while we sleep? I’m determined to find out how sleep can improve children’s cognitive development and achievement
My fascination with sleep started as a child. I was a sleep-walking child with a sleep-talking sister. Listening to her nocturnal nonsense and my parents’ stories of my own wanderings always amused me and spurred me to find out more about this phenomenon that we know so little about.
My journey began at Coventry University with a psychology degree. I then moved to London and completed a masters in cognitive neuropsychology at UCL. There I undertook my thesis on the cognitive effects of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder in adults. I was supervised by Annette Karmiloff-Smith, a world-renowned professor in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders with an interest in sleep. At the end of my masters she offered me a research assistant job for a project on sleep and learning in children with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic condition.