Publications

2025

Varma, P, Shen, L, Postnova, S, King, K, Howard, ME, Aidman, E, Rajaratnam, SWM, & Sletten, TL. (2025). Understanding sleep health challenges of defence shift workers to design a digital, sleep and circadian management tool. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 10483. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93597-y

Barroggi Constantino D, Lederle KA, Middleton B, Revell VL, Sletten TL, Williams P, Skene DJ, van der Veen DR. (2025) The bright and dark side of blue-enriched light on sleep and activity in older adults. Geroscience. 47(3):3927-3939. doi: 10.1007/s11357-025-01506-y. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01506-y

Cori J, Booker LA, Sletten TL, Rajaratnam SMW, Stanley D, Francis L, McMahon K, Wilson K, Mulhall M, Howard ME. (2025) Evaluating the effectiveness of camera-based fatigue and distraction detection technology in a rural truck driver cohort. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 67(5):p e352-e360. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003350.

Bragge P, Burns J, Kellner P, Allan M, Fitzgerald D, Grundy E, Lennox A, Moukhtarian TR, Rajaratnam SMW, Sletten TL. (2025) Sleep health interventions for managing mental health in shift workers: A systematic review. medRxiv 2025.07.28.25331984; https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.28.25331984v1

Shen L, Nicolazzo J, Sletten TL, Anderson C, Yap Y, Wiley JF, Bei B. (2025) Daily fluctuations in adolescents' sleep predict next-day attention, sleepiness, and fatigue: an ecological momentary assessment study over 28 days. J Child Psychol Psychiatry.66(5):686-696. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.14076. Epub 2024 Dec 1. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14076

Dunbar C, Sansom K, Lovato N, Vakulin A, Loffler KA, Nguyen K, Fitton J, Rajaratnam SMW, Sletten TL, Micic G, Ferguson SA, Wanstall SE, Brown BWJ, Harvey G, Adams R, Reynolds AC, Protocol for a pilot hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation study to improve help-seeking for sleep disorders in the future healthcare workforce: The Sleep Check Before Shift Work trial, (2025) SLEEP Advances, 6(2): zpaf020. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpaf020

Tout AF, Tang NKY, Toro CT, Sletten TL, Rajaratnam SMW, Kershaw C, Meyer C, Moukhtarian TR. (2025) SleepShifters: The co-development of a preventative sleep management programme for shift workers and their employers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 22(8):1178. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22081178. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081178

Harris R, Drummond SPA, Sletten TL, Wolkow AP. (2025) Cognitive factors increase the risk of shift work disorder through insomnia symptoms. Sleep Medicine. 136:106806. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106806. Epub 2025 Sep 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106806

Li L, Wang S, Sun Q, Sletten TL, Wiley JF. Nonpharmacological Interventions for Sleep in People With Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2026;71(1):e18-e39. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.08.037. Epub 2025 Sep 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.08.037

2024

Murray JM, Stone JE, Abbott SM, Bjorvatn B, Burgess HJ, Cajochen C, Dekker JJ, Duffy JF, Epstein LJ, Garbazza C, Harsh J, Klerman EB, Lane JM, Lockley SW, Pavlova MK, Quan SF, Reid KJ, Scheer FAJL, Sletten TL, Wright Jr KP, Zee PC, Phillips AJK, Czeisler CA, Rajaratnam SMW, for the International Association of Circadian Health Clinics. (2024) A Protocol for At-home Salivary Dim Light Melatonin Onset Assessment: Protocol by the International Association of Circadian Health Clinics Working Group. Journal of Pineal Research, 2024, 76(5):e12994. doi: 10.1111/jpi.12994. PMID: 39158010.

Varma, P., Postnova, S., Knock, S., Howard, M. E., Aidman, E., Rajaratnam, S. W. M., & Sletten, T. L. (2024). SleepSync: Early Testing of a Personalised Sleep–Wake Management Smartphone Application for Improving Sleep and Cognitive Fitness in Defence Shift Workers. Clocks & Sleep, 6(2), 267–280. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep6020019

Reynolds, A. C., Lovato, N., Sletten, T. L., Ferguson, S. A., Katahanas, L., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Adams, R. J. (2023). Assessment and management of sleep disorders in shift workers: Challenges and considerations for general practice. Australian Journal of General Practice, 53(6):389-393. https://doi.org/10.31128/AJGP-12-22-6647

Zimberg, I. Z., Ftouni, S., Magee, M., Ferguson, S. A., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Sletten, T. L. (2024). Circadian adaptation to night shift work is associated with higher REM sleep duration. Sleep Health, 10(1), S112–S120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2023.08.024

Tout AF, Tang NKY, Sletten TL, Toro CT, Kershaw C, Meyer C, Rajaratnam SW and Moukhtarian TR. Current sleep interventions for shift workers: A mini review to shape a new preventative, multicomponent sleep management programme. (2024) Frontiers in Sleep, Vol 3:1343393. doi: 10.3389/frsle.2024.1343393. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsle.2024.1343393

Shen L, Varma P, Murray JM, Sletten TL. Sleep, Circadian Rhythms and Shift Work: Adopting personalised approaches to managing shift work and circadian misalignment. In ML Jackson, SPA Drummond (Eds.) Advances in the Psychobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms. 2024. Abingdon Oxon UK, Taylor & Francis, p. 158-174.

2023

Crowther, M. E., Saunders, W. J., Sletten, T. L., Drummond, S. P. A., & Bei, B. (2023). Tailoring cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia across contexts, conditions, and individuals: What do we know, where do we go? Journal of Sleep Research, 32(6), e14023. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14023

Harris, R., Beatty, C. J., Cori, J. M., Spitz, G., Soleimanloo, S. S., Peterson, S. A., Naqvi, A., Barnes, M., Downey, L. A., Shiferaw, B. A., Anderson, C., Tucker, A. J., Clark, A., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Howard, M. E., Sletten, T. L., Wolkow, A. P., & the National Transport Commission Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue Project Team. (2023). The impact of break duration, time of break onset, and prior shift duration on the amount of sleep between shifts in heavy vehicle drivers. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(2), e13730. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13730

Mulhall, M., Wilson, K., Yang, S., Kuo, J., Sletten, T., Anderson, C., Howard, M. E., Rajaratnam, S., Magee, M., Collins, A., & Lenné, M. G. (2023). European NCAP Driver State Monitoring Protocols: Prevalence of Distraction in Naturalistic Driving. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 00187208231194543. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231194543

Murray, J. M., Magee, M., Giliberto, E. S., Booker, L. A., Tucker, A. J., Galaska, B., Sibenaller, S. M., Baer, S. A., Postnova, S., Sondag, T. A. C., Phillips, A. J. K., Sletten, T. L., Howard, M. E., & Rajaratnam, S. M. W. (2023). Mobile app for personalized sleep–wake management for shift workers: A user testing trial. DIGITAL HEALTH, 9, 205520762311659. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231165972

Reynolds, A. C., Kyle, S. D., Sletten, T. L., & Adams, R. J. (2023). Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: Can we make it work for shift work? Sleep Medicine Reviews, 72, 101864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101864

Sletten, T. L. (2023). Melanopic metrics: Advancing the characterization of everyday light patterns. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(49), e2316004120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2316004120

Sletten, T. L., Weaver, M. D., Foster, R. G., Gozal, D., Klerman, E. B., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Roenneberg, T., Takahashi, J. S., Turek, F. W., Vitiello, M. V., Young, M. W., & Czeisler, C. A. (2023). The importance of sleep regularity: A consensus statement of the National Sleep Foundation sleep timing and variability panel. Sleep Health, 9(6), 801–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2023.07.016

Varma, P., Jackson, M. L., Junge, M., & Conduit, R. (2023). Actigraphy‐measured sleep concordance, night‐wakings, intraindividual sleep variability in parents and their children—Associations with childhood sleep disturbances. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(3), e13773. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13773

Varma, P., Postnova, S., Phillips, A. J. K., Knock, S., Howard, M. E., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Sletten, T. L. (2023). Pilot feasibility testing of biomathematical model recommendations for personalising sleep timing in shift workers. Journal of Sleep Research, e14026. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14026

Verma, S., Varma, P., Brown, A., Bei, B., Gibson, R., Valenta, T., Pietsch, A., Cavuoto, M., Woodward, M., McCurry, S., & Jackson, M. L. (2023). Multi-modal sleep intervention for community-dwelling people living with dementia and primary caregiver dyads with sleep disturbance: Protocol of a single-arm feasibility trial. PeerJ, 11, e16543. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16543

2022

Booker, L. A., Sletten, T. L., Barnes, M., Alvaro, P., Collins, A., Chai-Coetzer, C. L., McMahon, M., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Howard, M. E. (2022). The effectiveness of an individualized sleep and shift work education and coaching program to manage shift work disorder in nurses: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 18(4), 1035–1045. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9782

Ganesan, S., Manousakis, J. E., Mulhall, M. D., Sletten, T. L., Tucker, A., Howard, M. E., Anderson, C., & Rajaratnam, S. M. W. (2022). Sleep, alertness and performance across a first and a second night shift in mining haul truck drivers. Chronobiology International, 39(6), 769–780. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2022.2034838

Rogers, M., Coates, A., Huggins, C. E., Dorrian, J., Clark, A. B., Davis, C., Leung, G. K., Davis, R., Phoi, Y. Y., Kellow, N. J., Iacovou, M., Yates, C. L., Banks, S., Sletten, T. L., & Bonham, M. P. (2022). Study protocol for the Shifting Weight using Intermittent Fasting in night shift workers (SWIFt) study: A three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing three weight loss strategies in night shift workers with obesity. BMJ Open, 12(4), e060520. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-060520

Shekari Soleimanloo, S., Sletten, T. L., Clark, A., Cori, J. M., Wolkow, A. P., Beatty, C., Shiferaw, B., Barnes, M., Tucker, A. J., Huda, M. Mamun., Anderson, C., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Howard, M. E. (2022). The association of schedule characteristics of heavy vehicle drivers with continuous eye-blink parameters of drowsiness. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 90, 485–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2022.08.019

Sletten, T. L., Sullivan, J. P., Arendt, J., Palinkas, L. A., Barger, L. K., Fletcher, L., Arnold, M., Wallace, J., Strauss, C., Baker, R. J. S., Kloza, K., Kennaway, D. J., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Ayton, J., & Lockley, S. W. (2022). The role of circadian phase in sleep and performance during Antarctic winter expeditions. Journal of Pineal Research, 73(2), e12817. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12817

Tymms, K., Butcher, B. E., Sletten, T. L., Smith, T., O’Sullivan, C., Littlejohn, G., Sadler, R., Tronnberg, R., Griffiths, H., & on behalf of the OPAL consortium. (2022). Prevalence of sleep disturbance and the association between poor disease control in people with ankylosing spondylitis within the Australian clinical setting (ASLEEP study): A real-world observational study using the OPAL dataset. Clinical Rheumatology, 41(4), 1105–1114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-021-05953-8

2021

Cori, J. M., Downey, L. A., Sletten, T. L., Beatty, C. J., Shiferaw, B. A., Soleimanloo, S. S., Turner, S., Naqvi, A., Barnes, M., Kuo, J., Lenné, M. G., Anderson, C., Tucker, A. J., Wolkow, A. P., Clark, A., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Howard, M. E. (2021). The impact of 7-hour and 11-hour rest breaks between shifts on heavy vehicle truck drivers’ sleep, alertness and naturalistic driving performance. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 159, 106224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106224

Knock, S. A., Magee, M., Stone, J. E., Ganesan, S., Mulhall, M. D., Lockley, S. W., Howard, M. E., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Sletten, T. L., & Postnova, S. (2021). Prediction of shiftworker alertness, sleep, and circadian phase using a model of arousal dynamics constrained by shift schedules and light exposure. SLEEP, 44(11), zsab146. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab146

Murray, J. M., Magee, M., Sletten, T. L., Gordon, C., Lovato, N., Ambani, K., Bartlett, D. J., Kennaway, D. J., Lack, L. C., Grunstein, R. R., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Phillips, A. J. K. (2021). Light-based methods for predicting circadian phase in delayed sleep–wake phase disorder. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 10878. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89924-8

Sletten, T. L., Raman, B., Magee, M., Ferguson, S. A., Kennaway, D. J., Grunstein, R. R., Lockley, S. W., & Rajaratnam, S. M. (2021). A Blue-Enriched, Increased Intensity Light Intervention to Improve Alertness and Performance in Rotating Night Shift Workers in an Operational Setting. Nature and Science of Sleep, Volume 13, 647–657. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S287097

Varma, P., Junge, M., Meaklim, H., & Jackson, M. L. (2021). Younger people are more vulnerable to stress, anxiety and depression during COVID-19 pandemic: A global cross-sectional survey. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 109, 110236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110236

Weaver, M. D., Sletten, T. L., Foster, R. G., Gozal, D., Klerman, E. B., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Roenneberg, T., Takahashi, J. S., Turek, F. W., Vitiello, M. V., Young, M. W., & Czeisler, C. A. (2021). Adverse impact of polyphasic sleep patterns in humans: Report of the National Sleep Foundation sleep timing and variability consensus panel. Sleep Health, 7(3), 293–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2021.02.009

2020

Booker, L. A., Barnes, M., Alvaro, P., Collins, A., Chai-Coetzer, C. L., McMahon, M., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Howard, M. E., & Sletten, T. L. (2019). The role of sleep hygiene in the risk of Shift Work Disorder in nurses. Sleep, zsz228. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz228

Booker, L. A., Sletten, T. L., Alvaro, P. K., Barnes, M., Collins, A., Chai‐Coetzer, C. L., Naqvi, A., McMahon, M., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Howard, M. E. (2020). Exploring the associations between shift work disorder, depression, anxiety and sick leave taken amongst nurses. Journal of Sleep Research, 29(3), e12872. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12872

Magee, M., Sletten, T. L., Murray, J. M., Gordon, C. J., Lovato, N., Bartlett, D. J., Kennaway, D. J., Lockley, S. W., Lack, L. C., Grunstein, R. R., Archer, S. N., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Delayed Sleep on Melatonin (DelSoM) Study Group. (2020). A PERIOD3 variable number tandem repeat polymorphism modulates melatonin treatment response in delayed sleep‐wake phase disorder. Journal of Pineal Research, 69(4), e12684. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12684

Mulhall, M. D., Cori, J., Sletten, T. L., Kuo, J., Lenné, M. G., Magee, M., Spina, M.-A., Collins, A., Anderson, C., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Howard, M. E. (2020). A pre-drive ocular assessment predicts alertness and driving impairment: A naturalistic driving study in shift workers. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 135, 105386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2019.105386

Sletten, T. L., Cappuccio, F. P., Davidson, A. J., Van Cauter, E., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Scheer, F. A. J. L. (2020). Health consequences of circadian disruption. Sleep, 43(1), zsz194. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz194

Stone, J. E., Postnova, S., Sletten, T. L., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Phillips, A. J. K. (2020). Computational approaches for individual circadian phase prediction in field settings. Current Opinion in Systems Biology, 22, 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coisb.2020.07.011

2019

Bonham, M. P., Kaias, E., Zimberg, I., Leung, G. K. W., Davis, R., Sletten, T. L., Windsor-Aubrey, H., & Huggins, C. E. (2019). Effect of Night Time Eating on Postprandial Triglyceride Metabolism in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 34(2), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730418824214

Ganesan, S., Magee, M., Stone, J. E., Mulhall, M. D., Collins, A., Howard, M. E., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Sletten, T. L. (2019). The Impact of Shift Work on Sleep, Alertness and Performance in Healthcare Workers. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 4635. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40914-x

Kuo, J., Lenné, M. G., Mulhall, M., Sletten, T., Anderson, C., Howard, M., Rajaratnam, S., Magee, M., & Collins, A. (2019). Continuous monitoring of visual distraction and drowsiness in shift-workers during naturalistic driving. Safety Science, 119, 112–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2018.11.007

Mulhall, M. D., Sletten, T. L., Magee, M., Stone, J. E., Ganesan, S., Collins, A., Anderson, C., Lockley, S. W., Howard, M. E., & Rajaratnam, S. M. W. (2019). Sleepiness and driving events in shift workers: The impact of circadian and homeostatic factors. Sleep, 42(6), zsz074. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz074

Murray, J. M., Phillips, A. J. K., Magee, M., Sletten, T. L., Gordon, C., Lovato, N., Bei, B., Bartlett, D. J., Kennaway, D. J., Lack, L. C., Grunstein, R. R., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Armstrong, E., Chohan, K., Djavadkhani, Y., Dodds, K., Gunaratnam, S., Hardy, M., … Yu, K. (2019). Sleep regularity is associated with sleep-wake and circadian timing, and mediates daytime function in Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder. Sleep Medicine, 58, 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.03.009

Stone, J. E., Aubert, X. L., Maass, H., Phillips, A. J. K., Magee, M., Howard, M. E., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Sletten, T. L. (2019). Application of a Limit-Cycle Oscillator Model for Prediction of Circadian Phase in Rotating Night Shift Workers. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 11032. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47290-6

2018

Boardman, J. M., Bei, B., Mellor, A., Anderson, C., Sletten, T. L., & Drummond, S. P. A. (2018). The ability to self‐monitor cognitive performance during 60 h total sleep deprivation and following 2 nights recovery sleep. Journal of Sleep Research, 27(4), e12633. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12633

Bonham, M. P., Leung, G. K. W., Davis, R., Sletten, T. L., Murgia, C., Young, M. J., Eikelis, N., Lambert, E. A., & Huggins, C. E. (2018). Does modifying the timing of meal intake improve cardiovascular risk factors? Protocol of an Australian pilot intervention in night shift workers with abdominal obesity. BMJ Open, 8(3), e020396. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020396

Booker, L. A., Magee, M., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Sletten, T. L., & Howard, M. E. (2018). Individual vulnerability to insomnia, excessive sleepiness and shift work disorder amongst healthcare shift workers. A systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 41, 220–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2018.03.005

Grima, N. A., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Mansfield, D., Sletten, T. L., Spitz, G., & Ponsford, J. L. (2018). Efficacy of melatonin for sleep disturbance following traumatic brain injury: A randomised controlled trial. BMC Medicine, 16(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0995-1

McGlashan, E. M., Burns, A. C., Murray, J. M., Sletten, T. L., Magee, M., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & Cain, S. W. (2018). The pupillary light reflex distinguishes between circadian and non-circadian delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) phenotypes in young adults. PLOS ONE, 13(9), e0204621. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204621

Porcheret, K., Wald, L., Fritschi, L., Gerkema, M., Gordijn, M., Merrrow, M., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Rock, D., Sletten, T. L., Warman, G., Wulff, K., Roenneberg, T., & Foster, R. G. (2018). Chronotype and environmental light exposure in a student population. Chronobiology International, 35(10), 1365–1374. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2018.1482556

Sletten, T. L., Magee, M., Murray, J. M., Gordon, C. J., Lovato, N., Kennaway, D. J., Gwini, S. M., Bartlett, D. J., Lockley, S. W., Lack, L. C., Grunstein, R. R., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., & for the Delayed Sleep on Melatonin (DelSoM) Study Group. (2018). Efficacy of melatonin with behavioural sleep-wake scheduling for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: A double-blind, randomised clinical trial. PLOS Medicine, 15(6), e1002587. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002587

Stone, J. E., Sletten, T. L., Magee, M., Ganesan, S., Mulhall, M. D., Collins, A., Howard, M., Lockley, S. W., & Rajaratnam, S. M. W. (2018). Temporal dynamics of circadian phase shifting response to consecutive night shifts in healthcare workers: Role of light–dark exposure. The Journal of Physiology, 596(12), 2381–2395. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP275589

Tracey Sletten Lab

Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health