Stable Sleep Pattern Before Sleep Loss

Effect of Stable Sleep Patterns on Peripheral Vascular Function Following Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is now recognized as important for disease prevention. Too little or too much sleep contributes to cardiovascular disease. Leading health organizations recommend adults sleep 7-9 hours per night for optimal health. This recommendation is based on research that finds reductions in sleep duration elevate blood pressure and impair vasodilation of blood vessels. One question raised in a recent NIH Workshop report (PMID:36448463) is whether stable sleep patterns, irrespective of a person's sleep duration, could mitigate the adverse effects of insufficient sleep on vascular function. This project will address this question in midlife adults using a randomized, crossover designed study.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Sleep
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Sleep consistency

Detailed Description

Purpose and hypothesis The aim of this study will be to test the hypothesis that stable sleep, as defined by a consistent (low variability) bedtime and wake-time schedule, will diminish the negative effect of sleep deprivation on vascular function.

Study design and procedures Thirty adults (15 men, 15 women) will complete a 6-week study that will involve five study visits. The first visit will include informed consent, collection of demographic data, sleep- and health-related surveys, and familiarization with study procedures. Participants will then be block randomized to either habitual sleep followed by stable sleep, or stable sleep followed by habitual sleep - each sleep condition will lasts two weeks. In the habitual sleep condition, participants will be asked to follow their normal routine without concern about their sleep duration. In the stable sleep condition, participants will be asked to keep the same bedtime and wake-time schedule without deviation. Bedtime and wake-times will be determined by the researchers, but individualized for each participant so that their usual sleep duration (based on self-report) is met. Sleep will be monitored throughout the study using research-grade motion sensors worn at the wrist. Resting blood pressure, blood vessel vasodilatory function, and cardiovascular responses to exercise will be our main outcome variables. These variables will be measured before (on day #13) and after (on day #14) one night of sleep deprivation. Total sleep deprivation is a well-established experimental model to understand the acute effects of insufficient sleep on vascular function in humans.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Joaquin U Gonzales, PhD; Phone Number: (806) 834-5944; Email: joaquin.gonzales@ttu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Lubbock, Texas, United States, 79409-3011
      • Recruiting
      • Kinesiology and Sport Management building
      • Contact: Joaquin U Gonzales, PhD; Phone Number: 806-834-5944; Email: joaquin.gonzales@ttu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women and men
• 35-64 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• obese based on BMI >29 kg/m2
• night-shift work
• prior diagnosis of sleep apnea
• signs of insomnia using the Insomnia Symptom Questionnaire
• a 'poor sleeper' (global score ≥5) based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
• taking medications that alter sleep
• personal history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus
• taking antihypertensive medications
• smoker (including vaping)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Stable sleep; Participants will be asked to maintain a consistent sleep pattern for two weeks.	Behavioral: Sleep consistency; Participants will be asked to maintain a consistent bed- and wake-time.
No Intervention: Habitual Sleep; Participants will be asked to maintain their usual sleep pattern for two weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Peak Reactive Hyperemia	Peak forearm blood flow will be measured before and after one night of sleep deprivation that follows two weeks of normal sleep or stable sleep. Peak reactive hyperemia in the forearm (ml/100ml/min) will be measured using venous occlusion plethysmography after 10 minutes of forearm ischemia resulting from blood pressure cuff inflation at the upper-arm. Peak blood flow is considered the highest blood flow measurement after the blood pressure cuff is deflated.	pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention
Change in Arterial Stiffness	Arterial stiffness will be measured measured before and after one night of sleep deprivation that follows two weeks of normal sleep or stable sleep. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity will be used as the measure of arterial stiffness. Radial arterial tonometry will be used to derive a central aortic blood pressure wave. Wave separation analysis of the aortic pressure wave will then used to calculate pulse wave velocity from transit time and carotid-femoral path length.	pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention
Change in Blood Pressure Reactivity	Blood pressure responses to isometric handgrip exercise will be measured before and after one night of sleep deprivation that follows two weeks of normal sleep or stable sleep. Mean blood pressure reactivity will be measured using finger plethysmography during 2-minutes of isometric handgrip exercise followed by 3-minutes of post-exercise circulatory arrest.	pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention
Change in Cerebral oxygenation	Regional cerebral oxygenation during a cognitive task will be measured before and after one night of sleep deprivation that follows two weeks of normal sleep or stable sleep. Oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin levels in the prefrontal cortex will be measured using a near infrared spectroscopy (NIRs) device.	pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Texas Tech University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Joaquin U Gonzales, PhD, Texas Tech University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 25, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 20, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 14, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 9, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): January 11, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 29, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: blood pressure; sleep deprivation; vasodilation; sleep variability
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Sleep Deprivation
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB2023-1166

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: All data collected or generated from the project will be made available on ClinicalTrials.gov within 12 months from the primary completion date.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: All data collected or generated from the project will be made available on ClinicalTrials.gov within 12 months from the primary completion date.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Open access
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

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