Reut Gruber, PhD

Contact
reut.gruber@douglas.mcgill.ca
6875 Boulevard LaSalle
Montréal, QC
H4H 1R3
Office:Z-0113, Bond Pavilion
Office phone: (514) 761-6131 x3476
Fax: (514) 762-3858
Lab website: https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/attention-behaviour-and-sleep-abs-laboratory/
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7359-3658
Director, Attention, Behaviour and Sleep Laboratory, Douglas Research Centre
Full Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
Psychologist, Douglas Mental Health University Institute
OPQ Licensed & American Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (A-CBT) certified*
*A-CBT certification is a credential that demonstrates a mental health professional’s competence and expertise in the practice of cognitive and behavioral therapy. Certification requires completion of specialized training and an examination that evaluates knowledge and skills in CBT.
Lab name: Attention, behaviour and sleep
Theme-Based Group: Sleep and Biological RhythmsDivision: Clinical Research
Attention, Behaviour, and Sleep laboratory
A considerable proportion of children and adolescents do not experience adequate sleep. Clinical studies show that poor sleep is implicated in the development and persistence of very prevalent childhood disorders affecting youth health. Dr. Gruber is leading an internationally recognized research program that seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying the interplay between sleep, cognition and mental health, and to build on this understanding to develop innovative evidence-based strategies that use sleep improvement to enhance academic performance and mental health.
Attention Behaviour and Sleep Lab
Her research focuses on three themes as they relate to pediatric sleep: ADHD, academic performance, and mental health. Additionally, Dr. Gruber translates her research findings into tools for healthcare providers and educators, to promote healthy sleep in children and adolescents by creating evidence-based resources to optimize the care of children with sleep disorders.
1. Sleep and ADHD
The objective of this part of Dr. Gruber’ research program is to characterize the sleep abnormalities of ADHD to explore potential behavioural, circadian, and genetic contributions of such abnormalities and to measure the impact of poor-quality sleep on the daytime functioning of children with ADHD. Using this knowledge, she seeks to develop evidence-based approaches to prevent or treat the daytime problems caused or exacerbated by sleep deprivation in children with ADHD. In terms of knowledge translation, Dr. Gruber has contributed to creating recommendations on clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and evaluation of sleep problems in children with ADHD.
2. Sleep and Academic Performance
The objective of this part of Dr. Gruber’ research program is to is to discover mechanisms underlying the association between sleep and academic performance. Dr. Gruber is investigating the role of sleep in IQ, academic performance and the daily functioning in school of children and adolescents.
3. Sleep and Mental Health
Pediatric sleep disorders are reported in 95% of youth with mental and neurological conditions. They are associated with mood disturbances, behavioural problems, and impaired academic performance. They predict an earlier onset of alcohol, cigarette, and illicit drug use and the onset, severity and likelihood of relapse of psychiatric disorders. Moreover, sleep problems in children negatively impacts their parents’ sleep and thus cause a cascade of burdensome problems including parenting stress which can be associated with harsh parenting. In addition, co-morbid sleep disorders significantly reduce the effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological interventions. Effective treatment of pediatric sleep
disorders contributes to better outcomes following these interventions but only a small number of Canadian youth who need sleep interventions currently receive them. The objectives of this part of the research program are 1) to better understand the mechanisms underlying the interplay between sleep and youth mental health; and 2) to develop further and facilitate the integration of evidence-based interventions for pediatric sleep disorders into educational and mental health services, and to provide available behavioural evidence-based interventions for pediatric sleep disorders.
Programs, Tools, and Information For The Public
Dr. Gruber has developed a comprehensive framework for sleep promotion and prevention programs for psychologists, pediatricians, and schools professionals.
Dr. Gruber has been collaborating with school boards in Quebec since September 2007. In partnership they have created, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated school-based interventions aiming at promoting sleep health and offering evidence-based tools to treat sleep disorders.
Translational Tools
- Sleep Squad: The Movie” (both a film and a publication; http://www.douglas.qc.ca/page/abs-sleep-squad). The film was made by a group of students and their teacher, all of whom participated in our Sleep For Success program (see P.4). We have leveraged this material as a tool to facilitate discussion with children regarding the importance of sleep to daytime function. It is available to the public or any interested individual. For example, I used this material in a tool kit I prepared for teachers across the world for World Sleep Day 2017 (see World Sleep Society; http://worldsleepday.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Reut-Gruber-World-Sleep-Day-2017.pdf).
- Online resources to help educate the public (parents, school personnel) teachers) regarding the importance of sleep to children’s daytime functioning. Canadian Sleep Society (https://css-scs.ca/resources/brochures/children).
- https://css-scs.ca/about/advocacy
Resources to help health care providers to provide evidence-based care to pediatric sleep disorders
Dr Gruber led the creation of the Canadian consensus statement in pediatric sleep which provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based tools to address pediatric sleep disorders. The statement has been endorsed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Canadian Sleep Society
Position Statement on Pediatric Sleep. Available here: https://www.cacap-acpea.org/wp-content/uploads/cacap-sept-2014-pediatric-sleep-gruber-PS-online.pdf
Reut Gruber, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and pediatric sleep expert. Her research at the Attention, Behaviour and Sleep Laboratory is focused on investigating the association between sleep and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), academic performance, and mental health. Dr. Gruber seeks to use the knowledge gained from her research to create evidence-based tools for pediatricians, psychologists, and schools to promote children’s sleep health. She has also created the first school-based programs aimed at improving children’s physical and mental health and academic performance by extending their sleep.
Dr. Gruber is actively involved in the supervision of undergraduate and graduate students at McGill University interested in conducting research in the field of pediatric sleep.
Dr. Gruber’s research has been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation, and Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ). She is also the recipient of several FRSQ and CIHR career awards.
2018 Honorable Mention winner, World Sleep Society ay
2018 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting Senior Researcher Award
2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting Senior Researcher Award
2014-2017 Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) Career Award (Senior)
2012 Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public or Community Service, Canada
2012-2014 Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) Career Award (Junior 2)
2007-2012 Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award, Career Award
Key publications
General Framework
1. Gruber R.** (2017). School-Based Sleep Education Programs: A Knowledge-To-Action Perspective Regarding Barriers, Proposed Solutions, and Future Directions. Sleep Medicine Reviews,36,13-28.
2. Gruber R**. (2013). Making room for sleep: the relevance of sleep to psychology and the rationale for development of preventative sleep education programs for children and adolescents in the community. Canadian Psychology, 54(1), 62-71.
3. Gruber, R**., Somerville G., Finn C (In Press). School-Based Sleep Health Education in Canada. Sleep Medicine.
4. Gruber, R**., Weiss, S., Frappier, J.-Y., Rourke, L., Brouillette, R., Carrey, N., Wise, M. S. (2014). Position statement on pediatric sleep for psychiatrists. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 23(3), 174-195.
Empirical Evidence
5. Gruber R.**, Somerville G., Bergmame L.+ Fontil, L.+ Soukaina P.* (2016). School-Based Sleep Education Program Improves Sleep and Academic Performance of School-Age Children. Sleep Medicine, 21, 93-100.
6. Gruber, R**., Wise, M., Frenette, S., Knauper, B., +Boom, A., +Fontil, L., Carrier, J. (2013). The Association Between Sleep Spindles and IQ in Healthy School-Age Children. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89(2), 229-240.
7. Gruber, R**., *Cassoff, J., Frenette, S., *Wiebe, S., & Carrier, J. (2012). The impact of sleep extension and restriction on children’s emotional lability and impulsivity. Pediatrics, 130, e1155-e1161.
8. Gruber, R**., *Wiebe, S., +Montecalvo, L., +Brunetti, B., Amsel, R. & +Carrier, J. (2011). The impact of sleep restriction on neurobehavioural functioning of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Sleep, 34, 315-323.
Publications
2026
Sleep without borders starts here: Principles and pathways for sleep health promotion Journal Article
In: Sleep Med X, vol. 11, pp. 100172, 2026, ISSN: 2590-1427.
Sleeping without borders: Gaps in contextualizing sleep duration guidelines for adults in low-income countries Journal Article
In: Sleep Med X, vol. 11, pp. 100176, 2026, ISSN: 2590-1427.
2025
It takes a village, not questionnaires, to improve children's sleep health: A commentary on community-driven sleep health Journal Article
In: Sleep Med X, vol. 10, pp. 100161, 2025, ISSN: 2590-1427.
Delivering sleep: Bed kit distributions to children living in poverty in Tanzania Journal Article
In: Sleep Med X, vol. 10, pp. 100155, 2025, ISSN: 2590-1427.
Evolving trends in novel sleep tracking and sleep testing technology publications between 2020 and 2022 Journal Article
In: J Clin Sleep Med, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 891–905, 2025, ISSN: 1550-9397.
2024
Broken clocks: The effects of delayed school start time on adolescent sleep in solar vs. standard time Miscellaneous
2024, ISSN: 1532-2955.
In: Sleep, vol. 47, no. 5, 2024, ISSN: 1550-9109.
In: Psychiatr Clin North Am, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 179–197, 2024, ISSN: 1558-3147.
2023
In: Brain Sci, vol. 13, no. 8, 2023, ISSN: 2076-3425.
Associations Between Multidimensional Sleep Health Parameters and Adolescents' Self-reported Light Exposure in the Free-living Environment Journal Article
In: J Biol Rhythms, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 305–317, 2023, ISSN: 1552-4531.
Sleep Disturbances in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Journal Article
In: Nat Sci Sleep, vol. 15, pp. 275–286, 2023, ISSN: 1179-1608.
Sleep duration, but not insomnia symptoms, is associated with poor executive functions in adolescents Journal Article
In: Sleep Med, vol. 101, pp. 36–39, 2023, ISSN: 1878-5506.
2022
In: Sleep Health, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 551–563, 2022, ISSN: 2352-7226.
Sleep and daytime behavior in individuals with Christianson Syndrome Journal Article
In: Sleep Med, vol. 89, pp. 55–59, 2022, ISSN: 1878-5506.
2022, ISSN: 1878-5506.
2021
Challenges and opportunities related to pediatric sleep research during the Covid-19 pandemic Miscellaneous
2021, ISSN: 1550-9109.
In: Sleep Med Rev, vol. 59, pp. 101517, 2021, ISSN: 1532-2955.
Children's Sleep During COVID-19: How Sleep Influences Surviving and Thriving in Families Journal Article
In: J Pediatr Psychol, vol. 46, no. 9, pp. 1051–1062, 2021, ISSN: 1465-735X.
Pre-pandemic sleep behavior and adolescents' stress during Covid-19: a prospective longitudinal study Journal Article
In: Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 43, 2021, ISSN: 1753-2000.
In: Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 175–193, 2021, ISSN: 1558-0490.
News
Clocks Have Fallen Back: Understanding Daylight Saving Time – Dr. Reut Gruber
On iHeart, Patty Handysides talks with Dr. Reut Gruber. They discuss why our clocks have just fallen back and explain the science and purpose behind daylight saving time
Gain improved sleep : Dr. Reut Gruber clocks in on coping with daylight saving time ending this weekend
Last weekend, as clocks fell back for the end of daylight saving time, Montrealers gained an extra hour of sleep. Dr. Reut Gruber shared practical tips to make the most of this “bonus hour” and ease the transition.
Sleep-wake cycles and mental health across the lifespan
March 14, 2025 – World Sleep Day We spend around a third of our lives asleep. The quantity of sleep, its quality, and the timing of our sleep-wake cycles change over the course of our lives. But what doesn’t change is the importance of these cycles for our health in general, and our mental health…
Dr. Reut Gruber : Is it time to stop changing the clocks?
Dr. Reut Gruber was interviewed by CBC Radio to discuss Quebec’s consultation on time change. The question raised: is it time to put an end to time changes? Dr. Gruber shared his expertise on the health effects of time change.
Savoir l’essentiel pour des bonnes nuit de sommeil !
Douglas Research Centre cited by RDS.
Reut Gruber interviewed on CTV – Sleep, Teenagers, and the Pandemic
With adolescents returning to classes after mostly remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year, there has been renewed attention on the effects of school schedules on sleeping patterns and stress levels among teens. Dr. Reut Gruber has been calling for revised class times for teens, and her recent study, published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and…
Let them hit snooze: Sleeping in helped teenagers cope with pandemic stress, study finds
Dr. Reut Gruber interviewed by CTV.
More sleep boosts teens’ ability to cope with pandemic
Dr. Reut Gruber‘s work featured in McGill’s Newsroom.
6 breaths a minute might be all you need to reduce anxiety In. And out.
Dr. Reut Gruber quoted in Body and Soul.
Pour en finir avec le changement d’heure
Dr. Reut Gruber‘s work cited in La Presse.