Biographical Sketch

Winni Hofman obtained a Master degree and her PhD degree from the University of Amsterdam. After working for a while at the sleep clinic of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and the epilepsy center 'Meer en Bosch' she worked on various sleep research projects in the University of Amsterdam. From 1987 onwards Winni Hofman was involved in (inter)national projects on the influence of transport noise on sleep. Between 1987 and 1991 she worked as senior reseacher in an advisory project of the Dutch Health Council. After 1998 she became more involved in physiological modelling in sleep. Winni Hofman was involved in various European research projects 'Sensation' (aimed at the detection and prediction of human physiological state in relation to wakefulness, fatigue and stress) and 'EU-clock' (a European research project on biological rhythm).  In 1987 Winni Hofman co-founded an international companyon sleep diagnostics and sleep research. In 2000 she co-founded Personal Health Institute int., a company providing services and products for health care with a focus on scientific research and psychophysiological models. She developed an online treatment of insomnia ( www.somnio.eu ) based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of insomnia. Winni Hofman is one of the 'founding fathers' of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. She is a registered Health Care specialist ('BIG' register) and a registered clinical sleep specialist.

Research Interests

Research focuses on sleep, sleep quality and daily functioning. The 3 main aspects of sleep quality are the recovery function of sleep, the rhythmical aspects and the 'pleasure' aspect. Sources of disturbance of the sleep quality can have an external as well as an internal origine. In earlier research projects the focus was on the effects of noise as an external disturbance on the sleep structure, cardiac activity and daytime performance. Later the interest shifted more towards internal disturbance of sleep like insomnia and sleep apnea, with a main focus on autonomic arousals during sleep causing fragmentation. A model was developed for the instability of respiratory mechanical movements during sleep. On this model she got a patent. Recent projects concern the characteristics of adolecent sleep, sleep and emotional memory and sleep apnea in stroke patients. 

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Some recent publications

• Cox, R., Hofman, W. F., & Talamini, L. M. (2012). Involvement of spindles in memory consolidation is slow wave sleep-specific. Learning and Memory, In press.
• Hofman, W. F., & Kumar, A. (2010). Online Treatment of Insomnia using Behavioral Techniques. Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy, 5(3), 28-32
• Hofman, W. F., & Toonen-Derks, P. C. M. (2008). Effects of cultural differences on adolescent sleep. In Sleep-Wake research in the Netherlands (Vol. 19, pp. 67-70). Oss: NSWO.
• Hofman, W.F. (2004). Slaapverstoring. In A.P.P.J. Stevens, P.H. de Vos, T.C. Welkers, Y. Wijnia & F. Woudenberg (Eds.), Handboek Lawaaibeheersing (Vol. 18). Alphen aan den Rijn, Kluwer, pp. 1-21
• Hofman, W. F., & Kumar, A. (2003). Thoracoabdominal instability as an objective indication of sleep apnea. In A. l. Bemmel, D. Beersma, W. F. Hofman, G. S. F. Ruigt, & P. J. E. Vos (Eds.), Sleep-Wake research in the Netherlands (Vol. 14). Maastricht: Dutch Society for Sleep-Wake Research, pp. 44-47
• Waterman, D., & Hofman, W. F. (2001). Niet-medicamenteuze therapie. In A. L. v. Bemmel, D. G. M. Beersma, J. H. M. d. Groen, & W. F. Hofman (Eds.), Handboek slaap en slaapstoornissen . Maarssen: Elsevier Gezondheidszorg, pp. 193-205