Sleep Restriction and Obesity

Insufficient sleep may be one of the most common, and most preventable, obesity risk factors. The investigators wish to determine whether 14 nights of modest sleep restriction results in increased energy balance, thus potentially increasing the risk of obesity. The investigators hypothesize that sleep restriction will result in increased energy balance.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Sleep restriction

Detailed Description

Numerous studies have reported that self-reported short sleep duration is associated with obesity and weight gain. Insufficient sleep may be one of the most common, and most preventable, obesity risk factors. Given that sleep restriction is largely voluntary and potentially correctable, understanding the mechanisms that link insufficient sleep to positive energy balance and the development of obesity, particularly visceral obesity, is crucial to clinical applications, public health policy, and informing future studies. The investigators wish to determine whether 14 nights of modest sleep restriction results in increased energy balance, thus potentially increasing the risk of obesity. The investigators will combine energy balance, biomarker, and imaging data with state-of-the art sleep monitoring to provide unambiguous data on the effects of sleep restriction on obesity. Together, the investigators findings will help explain whether the reduced sleep duration in the general population may be contributing to the current epidemic of obesity, and suggest strategies to reduce this risk.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 13
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
      • Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-40 years
• BMI of 18.5-30 kg/m2
• Not a current smoker or tobacco user
• No chronic medical or psychiatric disorders
• On no prescription medications other than second generation antihistamines (cetirizine, fexofenadine, desloratadine, loratadine, etc), oral contraceptive pills, or intrauterine devices
• History of normal sleep patterns, defined as nocturnal sleep duration of 6.5-8 hours per night without regular daytime naps

Exclusion Criteria:

• The investigators will exclude subjects who have any medical or psychiatric disorders
• History of anxiety or depression
• Those taking any medications other than non-sedating antihistamines or oral contraceptives will be excluded
• Those found to have depression on a depression screening tool (BDI-II) will be excluded
• Current smokers will be excluded
• All female subjects will undergoing a screening pregnancy test and excluded if positive
• Subjects found to have significant sleep disorders will be excluded

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sleep restriction	Behavioral: Sleep restriction; 14 days of sleep restriction, 4 hours of sleep per day.
No Intervention: Normal sleep

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in caloric intake and hunger	Change in caloric intake and hunger, measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days
Change in energy expenditure	Change in energy expenditure, including activity energy expenditure, thermic effect of food (TEF), and basal metabolic rate (BMR), measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints..	baseline to 21 days
Change in fat tissue characteristics and body composition	Changes in fat tissue characteristics from serial fat biopsies, and in body composition from DEXA and CT imaging, measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days
Change in metabolic hormones	Change in metabolic hormones measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in neurocognitive deficits	Change in neurocognitive function measured by battery, measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints..	baseline to 21 days
Change in blood pressure and autonomic function	Change in mean arterial blood pressure and autonomic function, measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days
Change in markers of inflammation and endothelial function	Change in markers of inflammation and endothelial function, measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days
Change in electrocardiographic characteristics	Change in electrocardiographic characteristics, measured during acclimation, experimental and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days
Change in arterial stiffness	Change in arterial stiffness, measured during acclimation, experimental, and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days
Change in cardiovascular reactivity	Change in cardiovascular reactivity, measured during acclimation, experimental, and recovery timepoints.	baseline to 21 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Covassin N, Singh P, McCrady-Spitzer SK, St Louis EK, Calvin AD, Levine JA, Somers VK. Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Visceral Obesity. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022 Apr 5;79(13):1254-1265. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.01.038.

Helpful Links

• Mayo Clinic Clinical Trials

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 17, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 17, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): April 19, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 21, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 18, 2022
• Last Verified: January 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 11-007272