FAQ
Who is eligible to participate in the Ontario Sleep Health Study?
Individuals who have participated in the Ontario Health Study and provided a blood sample to the Ontario Health Study are eligible to participate in the Ontario Sleep Health Study (OSHS).
If you have not already completed the Ontario Health Study survey and provided a blood sample, you will NOT be eligible to participate in the Ontario Sleep Health Study.
If you are unsure whether or not you have completed the Ontario Health Study survey and provided a blood sample, please contact Andrew Centen at 416-480-5143 or ontariosleephealthstudy@sunnybrook.ca to find out if you meet these two prerequisites for the Ontario Sleep Health Study.
What if I have a diagnosed sleep disorder such as sleep apnea?
What if I use prescribed or over-the-counter sleep aids to help me sleep?
Can more than one person within the same household participate in the OSHS?
How many people will participate in the OSHS?
It is anticipated that between 2,000 and 4,000 Ontarians will participate in this study. Since 2014, more than 2,400 Ontarians have participated in this study.
How do I participate in the OSHS?
What will I be asked to do if I agree to participate in the OSHS?
Why is participation in the OSHS important?
How will this study benefit me?
Once you have completed the study, we will provide you with data about your sleep and circadian rhythms, including the quantity and quality of your sleep and the likelihood that you have problems breathing in your sleep (also known as sleep apnea).
You will not be paid to participate in this study. However, at the end of your participation, you will be provided with a $10 gift card from your choice of Tim Hortons, Loblaws, Provigo, No Frills, Zehrs or Maxi.
Most importantly, by participating in this study, you will play a valuable role in helping us to understand better how sleep and circadian rhythm disruption affect our health and well-being—knowledge that can be used to design new sleep and circadian rhythm-related interventions to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. In so doing, you will make an important contribution to improving the health of Ontarians for generations to come.
Are there any risks involved in participating in the OSHS?
Will I be paid to participate in the OSHS?
How will my information be kept confidential?
If you participate in the OSHS, then the only individuals who will have access to your personal information are the staff involved in the study and the staff involved in the Ontario Health Study. Ontario Sleep Health Study staff will have access to personal information you provided to the Ontario Health Study, and your data from the OSHS will also be integrated into the main Ontario Health Study database.
Data in the Ontario Health Study database, including the sleep data collected by the OSHS, may be shared with outside researchers who pass a strict scientific and ethical review, but all identifying personal information will be removed prior to this shared access. Therefore, they will have no way of identifying who you are.
Furthermore, when the results of the study are published, your personal identity will not be disclosed. The results published will only refer to the study population as a whole.
Can the sleep results from the study substitute for a visit to my doctor?
What happens if I agree to the study and then decide I no longer want to participate?
Contact information
Email: ontariosleephealthstudy@sunnybrook.ca
Telephone: 416-480-5143
Address: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave., AB 211, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5