SLEAP
We are excited to announce a new sub-study to LEAP! SLEAP: Sleep ancillary to the LEAP trial.
What is SLEAP?
As you might have guessed from the title, this sub-study of LEAP is all about sleep! The goal is to better understand how the study treatment in LEAP impacts sleep and daily patterns of rest and activity. SLEAP was initiated by a team of sleep and circadian scientists from Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City in collaboration with the Principal Investigators from LEAP. The team is led by Dr. Faris M. Zuraikat, a faculty member at Columbia with extensive research training and experience in sleep and nutritional sciences. For more information on the scientists, see the section titled “Meet the SLEAP team”.
Who can participate in SLEAP?
SLEAP is open to anyone participating in the LEAP trial who has not yet completed their 12-month clinic visit.
What does participation look like in SLEAP?
Since we are interested in capturing LEAP participants’ ‘typical’ sleep habits during treatment; everything is done at home! To do this, we ask LEAP participants to complete questionnaires about their sleep habits, fill out daily sleep diaries, and wear sleep monitoring devices (Actiwatch and ZMachine) for multiple days at different timepoints during the study. The ‘sleep assessment’ periods align with the existing baseline, 6-, 12-, and 24-month LEAP visits (for participants who have already completed some of these LEAP study visits, you will pick up with SLEAP at the next one of the timepoints listed). Because all of the study measures are collected under ‘free-living’ conditions, no additional visits to the clinic are needed!
Does SLEAP provide compensation for participating?
YES! We have done our very best to make the SLEAP sub-study super easy for you. We want it to be enjoyable and not an additional burden. However, we recognize that everyone is busy, and time is valuable. Therefore, we will provide you with compensation for completing each sleep assessment period. More information on compensation is provided in the consent form.
To learn more about the SLEAP Study, how sleep is measured, sleep data, and why we are interested in sleep, click here for the sub-study's FAQs.
Meet the SLEAP Team
(aka ‘The Dream Team’)
Dr. Faris M. Zuraikat (PI). Dr. Zuraikat is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Medicine at Columbia University, and he is the lead investigator for SLEAP. Dr. Z has a PhD in nutrition and completed postdoctoral training in sleep and circadian sciences. The goal of his research program is to characterize the role of sleep in body weight regulation in order to enhance strategies for obesity treatment and comorbid disease prevention. The LEAP study presented an exciting opportunity to address unanswered questions about the effects that one of the most accessible obesity pharmacotherapies, phentermine, has on sleep and the role of sleep in phentermine’s efficacy in promoting weight loss.
Charlie Robinson is the SLEAP Admin/Coordinator. Charlie leads all day-to-day activities for this sub-study and is the ‘point person’ for SLEAP. She corresponds directly with participants and is the person who keeps SLEAP running – she ensures all devices are sent out and returned, corresponds with participants, keeps participation records, and answers any questions participants may have.
Please direct any questions to SLEAP@wakehealth.edu