Aerobic Exercise: A Potential Rescue From the Negative Ramifications of Poor Sleep

June 5, 2026 updated by: Michael J. Ormsbee, Florida State University

The goal of this interventional study is to differentiate the effects of an acute partial sleep deprivation intervention on markers of cardiovascular health, cardio-autonomic function, physical and cognitive performance, as well as overall wellbeing in active vs sedentary individuals. The main aims of the project are:

  • To differentiate the effects of partial sleep deprivation on central hemodynamics (i.e., central blood pressure and arterial stiffness) in active vs sedentary individuals.
  • To differentiate the effects of partial sleep deprivation on physical (i.e., handgrip strength and reactive strength index) and cognitive performance (i.e., reaction time and impulse control) in active vs sedentary individuals.
  • To differentiate the effects of partial sleep deprivation on overall wellbeing (i.e., cardio-autonomic function, inflammation levels, and psychological mood states) in active vs sedentary individuals.

Participants will be divided into two groups based on aerobic activity level - active or sedentary - and assessed for markers of cardiovascular health, cardio-autonomic function, physical and cognitive performance, as well as overall wellbeing before and after three days of normal sleep and three days of partially deprived sleep (i.e., 30% reduction in total time in bed).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
24

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Tallahassee, Florida, United States, 32301
        • Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Chronically active (≥150 minutes of moderate- and/or ≥75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week for the last 3 months) OR
  • Sedentary (≤60 minutes of aerobic exercise per week for the last 3 months)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic, uncontrolled disease (cardiovascular, metabolic)
  • Poor sleep (regularly achieving <7 hours of sleep per night)
  • Musculoskeletal injury in the last 6 months
  • Obese (grade II or higher)
  • Pregnant

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Normal Sleep
Experimental: Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation
30% reduction in habitual time in bed
Other: Partial Sleep Deprivation
30% reduction in habitual time in bed
Other Names:
  • Reduced Sleep

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Arterial Stiffness
Time Frame: Following 3-days of Acute Sleep Deprivation (i.e., 30% reduction in total time in bed) as well as following 3-days of Normal Sleep (i.e., 100% habitual time in bed); performed in a randomized order
Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity measured via applanation tonometry
Following 3-days of Acute Sleep Deprivation (i.e., 30% reduction in total time in bed) as well as following 3-days of Normal Sleep (i.e., 100% habitual time in bed); performed in a randomized order

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cardio-Autonomic Function
Time Frame: Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
heart rate variability
Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
Cardio-Autonomic Function
Time Frame: Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
resting heart rate
Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
Cardio-Autonomic Function
Time Frame: Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
respiration rate
Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
Cognitive Performance
Time Frame: Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
impulse control; measured via vetted smart phone application (Sway Medical; Tulsa, OK)
Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
Cognitive Performance
Time Frame: Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
reaction time; measured via vetted smart phone application (Sway Medical; Tulsa, OK)
Daily mid- and post- 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; daily mid- and post- 3 days for normal sleep
Physical Performance
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
hand grip strength
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
Physical Performance
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
reactive strength index; scale title: reactive strength index, scale limits: 0-100, higher value is better
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
Inflammation
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
CRP
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
Inflammation
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
IL-6
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
Inflammation
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
IL-1beta
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
Inflammation
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
IL-10
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
Inflammation
Time Frame: Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep
TNF-alpha
Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of partial sleep deprivation; Immediately- and 3 days-post 3 days of normal sleep

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Florida State University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 21, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 31, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 10, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 25, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 4, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY00006067

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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