Does a bad night's sleep really fuel anxiety? And should we really be banning smartphones in schools?

This week we’ve ventured across campus to the Department of Psychology to talk to Emma Sullivan all about the complex science of sleep, screens, and stress.

Join us as Emma walks us through two bold projects. The first plunges participants into an unnerving virtual environment to reveal how a sleepless night traps the brain in a state of hypervigilance. The other tracks a Channel 4 documentary-inspired experiment where teenagers attempt a total smartphone ban.

We hear about the reality of sleep research: from watching brainwaves in the Sleep Lab and using Virtual Reality to test emotional recovery, to the hurdles of convincing teenagers to hand in their smartphones. Plus, we find out why the digital detox might not be the silver bullet for mental health that the headlines suggest.

Resources from this episode:

• Find out more about Emma's research: https://sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/emmasullivan-com/home
• Follow Emma on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/emmacsullivan.bsky.social
• Channel 4 Documentary: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/swiped-the-school-that-banned-smartphones
• Get involved in psychology research at York: https://www.york.ac.uk/psychology/research/participate/

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Music by Matthew Bailey

How can we design research that actually benefits people and the planet? This week we welcome back Karen Glerum-Brooks to the Research Room, and this time she's brought along her colleague Andrew Mott to talk about the Valuing Voices project.

Listen as Karen and Andrew share lessons learnt from clinical trials, the small design choices that can massively reduce research waste, and the qualitative interviews that are shaping their guidance for trials across the UK. If you’re writing a grant, planning a trial, or simply curious about how we can all do research better, this episode is definitely for you!

Don't forget to like and follow so you never miss an episode!

Find out more about the project here: https://valuing-voices.ac.uk/

Check out the researcher tool here: https://valuing-voices.ac.uk/dashboard/

Get in touch with the team at valuing-voices@york.ac.uk

Music by Matthew Bailey

What's the best way to heal an open surgical wound? This week we're chatting with the SWHSI-II team, Catherine Arundel, Sam Swan and Sabeen Zahra, all about the SWHSI-2 trial, the award winning study which compared Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with traditional standard dressings to answer this question.

We go behind-the-scenes to hear about the trial’s highs and hurdles: blinded photo assessments, COVID interruptions, and smart solutions to recruitment challenges. Plus we find out the team's top tips for researchers undertaking similar projects.

Resources from this episode:

Find out more abou the SWHSI-II Trial here: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/trials/swhsi-2/#tab-2

Clinical Results paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00143-6 Trial Learning paper: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-025-01658-w

Cost effectiveness paper: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjs/znaf077 Bluebelle (patient reported infection questionnaire) validation paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtv.2025.100889

Music by Matthew Bailey