This HUB is dedicated to integrate my different research activities. I'm an Associate Professor at University of Bern, leading a small yet highly motivated research group within the Department of Movement and Exercise Science at the Institute of Sport Science. My research is focusing on different areas in the field of sport science in connection to sleep/XR. Previously: PhD student and post-doc with Prof. Klaus Roth (Emeritus) at Heidelberg University (Germany) and Prof. Michael Schredl at Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim (Germany). You can read my PhD thesis here (Best Dissertation Award, Dvs-young investigator award).
From here you reach all our project, conference and outreach sites. Each site lives on its own – this page is the switchboard.
SNSF project linking body stimulation and virtual reality training to lucid dreaming – work packages, team and results.
edp.erlacher.de NetworkNetzwerk Sport und Schlaf – the Swiss network bringing together sport and sleep science, practice and athletes.
nightletics.ch SymposiumOur symposium on lucid dreaming research – programme, speakers and outcomes.
ldsb.erlacher.de Research projectInterdisciplinary UniBE project (BIND Grant) with Thomas König: augmented reality bridging embodied action flow to neural correlates.
bind.erlacher.de OutreachGerman-language information site on lucid dreaming – background, techniques and research.
klartraum.de PeopleFormer PhD, MSc and BSc members of the Sport-Sleep-XR group – and where their paths have led them.
alumni.erlacher.de UniversityInstitute of Sport Science at the University of Bern – our academic home; Daniel's staff page with the complete publication list is linked there.
ispw.unibe.ch RecordsPublications, media coverage and talks – continuously maintained – plus information pages for press enquiries and school or thesis requests.
listen.erlacher.de PrivateDaniel's personal site – the original page from the early days of the web, kept alive for the record.
erlacher.deFurther project, conference and lab sites will be linked here as they move to the new format.
Our research team is located at the University of Bern at the Institute of Sport Science. We are a group of researchers and students with a strong background in sport science, sleep science, cognitive neuroscience, and virtual reality. Our research focuses on the interaction between sleep, physical activity, and the role of the physical body in this interplay. Former members of the group are listed on our Alumni page.
Daniel is the principal investigator of the Sport-Sleep-XR group in Bern, and an experienced researcher with a strong background in sports science, sleep, lucid dream research, and XR. His work focuses on understanding and enhancing performance through innovative approaches and interdisciplinary research.
Johanna moved to Bern for a master's in sport science research after completing her bachelor's at the Technical University of Munich. While shaping her research focus, she develops a speech-to-text transcription tool. Her interests include sleep, dreams, hiking, skiing, and cheerleading.
Yannick is currently pursuing his Master's degree in Sports Science at the University of Bern.
Our research focuses on the interaction between sleep, physical activity, and the role of the physical body in this interplay. We are particularly interested in the role of sleep in sports performance, the effects of sleep on motor learning, and the role of sleep in the recovery process.
Establishing AR as a learning aid for bimanual sequencing tasks, starting with piano playing. This concept will gradually be applied to more complex, sport-related tasks. The first phase involves creating AR content, calibration, experimental design, and integration with Meta-Quest and Unreal interfaces.
Applying mNIRS to track training volume load offers a way to enhance resistance training beyond basic sets and reps. mNIRS measures muscle oxygenation (SmO2), indicating oxygen supply-demand balance, metabolism, and exercise intensity in real-time, making it a valuable training tool.
Nightly sleep significantly impacts physical performance the next day. Sleep loss can impair cognitive function and mood, affecting both team and individual sports. Recent studies highlight the importance of sleep in sports performance, showing that pre-competition sleep is often disturbed, leading to reduced performance.
In the SNF project "The Embodied Dreaming Project," we explore how external body stimulations (balance, touch, hand movement) influence dream content and induce lucid dreams, aiming to develop new strategies for research, medical treatment, and sports.
During sleep, skeletal muscle relaxation is believed to facilitate important restoration processes. We are investigating local physiological changes post-training and during sleep using NIRS methodology. Findings could highlight sleep's role in sports recovery and how physiological processes are reflected in dream content.
Memory consolidation during sleep is crucial for learning motor skills. Different sleep stages support motor memory formation based on skill level. Current studies explore the relevance of explicit and implicit memory content in sleep-related learning of complex motor tasks.
Our previous research fundings:
Find some of our latest research in the field of sleep/XR research:
A complete publication list of Daniel Erlacher can be found here: UniBE ORCID Scholar
If you're curious about our research, don't hesitate to reach out! We've been getting tons of inquiries – from the press, researchers, students, lucid dreamers, and school kids alike. Sometimes it takes us a few days to respond, but we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!
Daniel Erlacher
University of Bern | Institute of Sport Science | Bremgartenstrasse 145 | 3012 Bern | Switzerland
Phone: +41 31 684 52 06
E-Mail: daniel.erlacher@unibe.ch