Daniel Kay, Editor in Chief of Research Directions: Sleep Psychology, reveals how a bad dream experience in childhood led to a fascinating career in sleep science

“When I was a child,” recalls Daniel Kay, “I had a recurring nightmare that proved to be one of the most impactful experiences of my life. It was ‘just a dream’ but I wondered then, as I do now, how it could be so profound and powerful?”

Daniel, a sleep psychologist who has been a researcher in the field for 20 years, recalls that as a youngster he always enjoyed solving puzzles, and that sleep and consciousness have always been particularly intriguing to him. “When I realised as an undergraduate student that I could have a career in piecing together the mysteries of sleep, I was hooked,” he says.

Sleep psychology is the study of why and how we sleep. Its core questions centre on how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour influence our sleep, the psychological experience and functions of sleep, and how sleep influences our daytime feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

Daniel was originally training in basic sleep neuroscience before receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology – and then did a postdoc at the University of Pittsburgh in translational sleep medicine, specialising more specifically in insomnia research. These days he is an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah.

During high school, Daniel recalls, he obtained a dream interpretation book and set out to understand his dreams and the dreams of those around him – and then, as part of an ‘introduction to psychology’ course, began to learn more about sleep and consciousness.

“At that point, I knew I was a dyed-in-the-wool psychologist with strong interests in sleep and consciousness,” he says.

“The following summer, I read a book by Dr. Gary Zammit, called Good Nights, which inspired me to learn more about clinical sleep psychology, and I found myself talking to everyone I knew about it.

“Through one of these conversations, I was encouraged to reach out to a Dr James Krueger to see if I could get involved in his sleep research. I was blessed to have him as my undergraduate mentor where I got involved in his exciting studies on local sleep theory in rats. In graduate school, I shifted my focus to studying human sleep and treating sleep disorders with psychological interventions. My dream is to make contributions in all aspects of sleep psychology.”

A ‘reliable home’ for sleep psychologists

Last year Daniel became Editor-in-Chief of Research Directions: Sleep Psychology – which, as the first psychology journal dedicated to all aspects of sleep psychology, he describes as a “major advancement for our discipline”.

He says the key readers and contributors will be sleep scientists interested in the psychology of sleep and psychologists who are interested in understanding how sleep relates to psychological concepts: “Many psychologists do sleep and circadian research and many in other disciplines are interested in the questions of sleep psychology and yet have not found a reliable home for their work. This journal will provide that to them.”

The key areas that the question-led journal will cover are at the interface between the disciplines of sleep science and psychology. Traditionally, these have focused on questions related to dream psychology and behavioural sleep medicine but also include research on individual differences, social psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology.

“Our six original questions address each of these areas,” says Daniel. “In the future, we will identify the important questions in all branches of psychology as they interface with sleep and circadian science.”

Circadian reconnections

The ethos of the Research Directions journals, to facilitate scientific progress by focusing efforts and resources on specific questions important to the field, will be crucial to the development of a relatively new field of science, says Daniel. He reports that the first few months have been “exciting and productive”.

“Currently, there is no society of sleep psychology yet the questions are critical for the progress of both sleep science and psychology. Until now, there has been no central home for the work being done in this area. By outlining the questions, our journal will help make progress on these questions in a multidisciplinary way. In addition, the field is new and rapidly evolving. This question-driven approach will help us stay focused on the current issues in the field and help guide the field to success.”

As might be expected, a deep interest in sleep science spills over into Daniel’s personal life, and he extols the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in this respect. He loves hiking the mountains and slot canyons in his home state of Utah; backpacking, skiing in the winter, and guiding river rafting trips in the summer.

“As a clinician, I know that for some people Utah comes with its own set of challenges for sleep including poorer sleep at higher altitudes and dryer air,” he says. “But the state truly has much to offer in way of open air, bright sunlight and exercise that benefit sleep, particularly when out in it! There is nothing better than reconnecting with my circadian clock on a multi-night backpacking trip.”

Research Directions: Sleep Psychology invites contributions from various disciplines, perspectives, and voices to achieve its aim. Read our instructions for authors and learn more about publication fees to understand better how to submit. Sign up to receive article alerts when new research is published.

Meet Daniel Kay: Editor-in-Chief of Research Directions: Sleep Psychology from Cambridge University Press on Vimeo.