CC Speaks: Reflections on Sista, I'm With Ya! about Sleep Health with CCS2S Intern Arianna Grant

Sista, I'm With Ya! relaunched on April 28th with a conversation about sleep health! If you missed joining CCS2S Intern Arianna Grant (MCPHS) for a presentation on her behavioral sleep research and conversation about Black women's sleep health, don't worry! In Part I of this conversation, we focused on the impact our hairstyles can have on the results of common test, Electroencephalography (EEG), but we have more in store for Part II.

Check out this interview by CCS2S Intern Karen Mends with Arianna Grant, and stay tuned for more information on how we'll continue the conversation about rest and sleep health!

Karen Mends: "What drew you to Community Conversations: Sister to Sister, and how did you find your way to becoming (an intern)?" 

Arianna Grant: I was drawn to CCS2S because of the importance of explaining Concepts, industry/academic language, and personal stories to one another to better understand each other and the different sectors of the life, especially the ones not affecting us personally.  I found my way of being an intern through Dr. Griffin, a board member for CCS2S. I am one of her student advisor board members for the Center for Research and Discovery at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

KM: “Why was the topic of sleep health important to talk about with the community?”

AG: The topic is important to me because I don’t want our community to think sleep is just something we just participate in, we have options to take charge in how we sleep and to learn more about sleep techniques and test that can make that process smoother

KM: “A lot of people don’t think about their hair when going in for an EEG, what made you want to change that?”

AG: I wanted the process before stepping into the sleep lab not to feel dreadful or stress inducing. So having conversations with participants before they are scheduled to come in and talk about their has helped to make the sleep test a more comfortable experience. 

KM: “What would you want more Black women to know about sleep studies even before they go in for one?”

AG: That our participation is very important for sleep data and devices that help other black people who have sleep disorders and know the data and devices they must use were made with them in mind. Participation also teaches you more about your sleep habits as some sleep studies have you write in a sleep log to get a good baseline of how you sleep, so it's definitely a learning opportunity.

Sleep Health Tips 

Find Your Unique Sleep Health Number:

Finding your sleep number is important. Most people can’t/don’t meet the standard 8-10 hours of sleep but notice they can sleep for 6 hours and feel fine. What about you?

Here's an experiment to find your true sleep number!

• Choose a specific bedtime.

• Stick to it for two weeks straight.

• Don't set an alarm.

Example: “Going to bed at midnight and you're waking up at 7:30 a.m. every day? — three, four, five days in a row — seven and a half hours is your sleep number,” (Cunningham, 2025)

Reach out to your PCP regarding needing a clinical sleep study:

If you are experiencing disruptions to your sleep, it's important to note the patterns.

• Document sleep habits in a sleep diary-- tracking sleep, wake times and symptoms. 

• Communicate these symptoms and experiences to a trusted health care provider and suggest learning more about candidacy of a sleep study. 

KM:“Why is it important to train other researchers on our hair?”

AG: It's important because how you approach a participant is rooted in professionalism and I think talking about our hair deserves the same respect. So, I created a visual guide that contains hairstyles and their names and an accommodation chart that explains why we can/can't accommodate a certain hairstyle as well as hair care products that work best on our hair. So, researchers have the opportunity to learn and use the correct language with participants.

KM: "At the recent event, you facilitated Sista, I'm With Ya!, What was this experience like for you, and what memories stand out from our time shared?”

AG: I was a great experience and I'm grateful the work we are doing at the Center for Sleep and Cognition resonates with people and makes them feel comfortable. The most memorable moment was hearing topics community members were interested in hearing more about and feeling charged about sleep health after my presentation.

Arianna Grant is a fourth-year dual-degree student pursuing her bachelor's degree in chemistry and her master's degree in pharmaceutical chemistry at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She also plans to get her PhD in medicinal chemistry. At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, she is a Research Coordinator for the Center for Sleep and Cognition and for the Neurology Sleep Medicine Department for a Sleep and Glymphatic Study. Within the Center of Sleep and Cognition, she works with Tony Cunningham, PhD; Shengzi Zeng, PhD; Seo Ho (Michael) Song, MD, DPhil; and other research coordinators/assistants on what is called an  “NIH K23 Study”. The first study entails "The Impact of Insufficient Sleep and Insomnia Disorder on Behavioral and Neural Markers of Emotion Regulation" and the second study is on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) which investigates two core components of schizophrenia (cognitive deficits and sleep abnormalities) using a new and exciting clinical intervention during sleep. In these studies Arianna sets up the Electroencephalography (EEG) and diagnostic tests which records the brain waves that will undergo the sleep scoring processes. She also gives cognitive tasks to participants where the data will then be interpreted to see if the healthy control and sleep restricted participants will have any difference in emotional regulation.

Note: A NIH K23 Study (Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award) provides funding to support clinicians with doctoral degrees (e.g., M.D., D.O., Pharm.D.) in transitioning to independent researchers. It guarantees protected time and mentorship for patient-oriented research.