Question: Why did you prefer to do about teenagers rather than adults?

Rachel Sharman answered on 5 Nov 2018:

Hi.
Actually, I started off working with adults. I used to to investigate the body clock and how days longer than 24hrs (think Mars) can cause real problems as our body cannot adjust to it.
After that I researched insomnia and how noises in the environment may make us think we are awake when we are actually asleep.
It was only after working in a sleep clinic that I really started to think about something called preventive sleep medicine. My friends are teachers and used to say how sleepy their students are and I wondered what could be done about it. Luckily, Oxford had some money to do that research!
Teenagers are at an amazing crossroads in terms of their brain development..the brain is changing into that of an adult. It also means sleep is really important for the teenager and their health and wellbeing. Scientists want their work to make a difference, to help the world, and I see working with teenagers as being able to do just that!