Sleep, Stress and Learning: an Experimental Pilot Study (Sleepstress)

To investigate the efficiency and effect of a programmed slow-breathing exercise in the evening to the heart rate variability, sleep quality and memory performance over night.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Stress; Sleep
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Slow breathing; Behavioral: Music listening

Detailed Description

Background Stress and increased alertness in the evening are major reasons for sleep onset problems, poor sleep and insomnia symptoms. For instance, increased amount of REM, and decreased amount of slow wave sleep may result. Also, the function of sleep in memory consolidation may suffer. They also affect the sleep structure and continuity during the night. They are highly prevalent phenomena among the entire population, including healthy adults and children. However, at the physiological level, the concept of evening alertness is still understudied and often neglected.

Recent advances show that breathing exercise is an efficient tool to reduce stress. However, its use specifically prior to sleep onset and with measurement sleep stages and their microstructures with sleep EEG has been little been studied before. The overall objective of this study is to explore interrelations of stress, learning and sleep quality.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Finland
  • Helsinki, Finland
    • University of Helsinki

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 45 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 20-45

Exclusion Criteria:

• chronic disease requiring daily medication, acute sickness (e.g. a flu), jet lag from a recent travel, current diagnosed sleep disorder (such as snoring or insomnia) and any use of medication affecting autonomic nervous system function or sleep.

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: Breathing; Guided slow breathing for 30 minutes before sleep onset	Behavioral: Slow breathing; Guided slow breathing for 30 minutes before sleep onset
Active Comparator: Music listening; Guided music listening for 30 minutes before sleep onset	Behavioral: Music listening; Guided music listening for 30 minutes before sleep onset

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sleep structure	Percent distribution of different sleep stages	Change from night 1 to night 2

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sleep spindle duration	Duration of sleep spindles in seconds	Change from night 1 to night 2
Sleep spindle power	Amplitude of sleep spindles in microvolts	Change from night 1 to night 2

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Helsinki
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Anu-Katriina Pesonen, prof, University of Helsinki

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Sleep lab home page

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): October 30, 2018
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 29, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 3, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): September 5, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 5, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 3, 2018
• Last Verified: September 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Sleepstress

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No