Examining the Biological Factors That Affect Sleep Duration

July 30, 2013 updated by: Daniel Aeschbach, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Neurobiology of Individual Differences in Sleep Duration

Sleep is necessary for healthy functioning, and people who sleep too little or too much may have an increased risk of developing health problems. This study will examine people who regularly sleep for short or long amounts of time to understand the biological factors that determine how much sleep a person needs.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

The amount of sleep people require depends on many factors, including age, but experts agree that most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. People who sleep for shorter or longer amounts of time may be at risk of developing memory problems, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The duration and timing of sleep are regulated by an interaction between the circadian pacemaker, or biological clock, and the sleep homeostat, which is an internal account of the amount of sleep a person has received recently. It is unknown whether there is a biological or genetic basis for the amount of sleep a person needs. This inpatient study will examine two extreme sleep groups: short sleepers who sleep 6.5 or less hours a night and long sleepers who sleep 9 or more hours a night. Participants will be exposed to identical sleep opportunities and living conditions. Using hormone analysis to examine participants' circadian rhythms, researchers will evaluate the biological differences that people undergo during the sleep process. Results from this study may help researchers understand whether sleep duration and sleep needs differ among people because of biological and genetic variations.

Over a period of 4 to 6 weeks, potential study participants will attend 4 to 6 screening visits, which will include a medical history review, physical exam, blood and urine collection, electrocardiogram (EKG) to measure electrical activity of the heart, a psychological assessment, and an overnight stay in a sleep laboratory. For 3 weeks, potential participants will also wear an activity monitor, and they will record sleep habits electronically and in a daily diary.

Participants who are eligible for the study will spend 28 days in the Intensive Physiological Monitoring Unit of the Clinical and Translational Sciences Center at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Participants will not have access to a clock, radio, television, or computer, and they will not be allowed any outside contact. Most days participants will remain in bed for 10 to 14 hours; however, at selected times during the study, participants will remain inactive for periods of 32 to 64 hours and will stay awake for 32 to 40 hours. Throughout the study, participants' sleep patterns will be monitored continuously by a wrist activity recorder. Heart rhythms, brain electrical activity, eye movements, and temperature will also be measured continuously. At different times throughout the study, participants will undergo urine, saliva, and blood collection; alertness, mood, and performance evaluations; and blood pressure measurements. Upon release from the research center, participants will maintain a sleep diary for 3 weeks.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

119

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Brigham & Women's Hospital

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants will include healthy people who are catagorized as either short sleepers or long sleepers.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Routinely sleeps 6.5 hours or less a night, or routinely sleeps 9 hours or more a night
  • In good health

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with a sleep disorder
  • Currently uses medications
  • Performed night shift work in the 3 years before study entry
  • History of psychiatric illness

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Circadian rhythm assessment based on plasma melatonin and other hormones; sleep and EEG analysis; measurements of cognitive performance, alertness, and mood
Time Frame: Measured during the 4-week inpatient stay
Measured during the 4-week inpatient stay

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Collaborators

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Daniel Aeschbach, PhD, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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

October 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 4, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 4, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

February 5, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 31, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 30, 2013

Last Verified

July 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 559
  • R01HL077399 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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