Effects of Acute Sleep Deprivation on Human Behaviours

Acute Effects of Partial Sleep Deprivation on Appetite, Energy Intake and Physical Activity

This study will investigate whether acute sleep deprivation affects appetite, eating behavior, and physical activity in both regular exercisers and physically inactive individuals.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Energy Intake; Appetite; Food Choice
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Normal sleep; Behavioral: Partial sleep deprivation

Detailed Description

Prior to the main trials, participants will complete assessments of V̇O2max and maximal muscle strength within 7 to 14 days before the main trials. They will also record one week of daily physical activity, sleep patterns, and diet (including two weekdays and one weekend day) to ensure they meet the inclusion criteria.

Participants will be healthy males aged 20 to 45, grouped according to their habitual activity levels.

1. Sedentary: fewer than 7,000 steps/day, no regular exercise in the past 6 months.
2. Regular Aerobic Exercise: Running or cycling at least 2-3 times/week for the past 6 months.
3. Regular Resistance Exercise: Engaging in resistance exercise at least 2-3 times/week for the past 6 months, with minimal aerobic training.

Day 1:

Physical activity is restricted to a minimum, with no exercise permitted. Participants are allowed to eat freely before 15:00; however, all food intake will be recorded to enable replication prior to the subsequent main trial. Napping is not permitted. Participants will arrive at the laboratory between 18:30 and 19:00. Subjective appetite sensations and food preferences will be assessed. Participants will have either an 8-hour sleep opportunity in the laboratory from 23:00 to 07:00 (i.e., normal sleep trial) or a 3-hour sleep opportunity from 03:00 to 07:00 (i.e., partial sleep deprivation trial).

Day 2:

Participants will wake at 07:00. After completing personal hygiene, they will rest for 20 minutes to ensure full alertness. At 07:30, a 20-minute resting metabolic rate assessment will be conducted, alongside the collection of heart rate variability and muscle oxygen saturation data. Subsequently, pulse wave velocity measurement, cognitive function tests, subjective questionnaires, and a computerized food preference test will be administered.

After the baseline assessment, a 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) will be administered. Visual analogue scale assessments-including sleep, appetite, and mood-will be conducted every 30 minutes during the OGTT. Food preferences will be measured 180 minutes after the completion of the OGTT. Upon leaving the laboratory, participants will be provided with a pedometer and wearable devices and instructed to record dietary intake (using a food scale and photographic records), sleep, and glucose values on the experimental day and for the following four consecutive days.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 20 and 45 years.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 to 27 kg/m².
• No sleep-related medical conditions and good sleep quality, defined as a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score ≤ 5.
• Usual bedtime between 22:00 and 01:00, wake-up time between 06:00 and 09:00, with an average sleep duration of 7 to 9 hours. Chronotype classified as "definitely not evening type" (score ≥ 42 on the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire), with no changes in sleep patterns over the past 3 months.
• Without any metabolic or cardiovascular diseases, and not using medications that could affect metabolic responses.
• No specific dietary habits, such as intermittent fasting or a ketogenic diet.
• Maintaining a stable weight (no self-reported weight change greater than ±3 kg) for at least 3 months.
• Resting blood pressure ≤ 130/80 mmHg.
• No smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.
• Not a shift worker.
• No international travel across time zones in the past 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Special diets (e.g., intermittent fasting, ketogenic diet)
• Recent injuries or contraindications to intense exercise.

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: Normal sleep; Participants will have an 8-hour sleep opportunity in the lab from 23:00 to 07:00.	Behavioral: Normal sleep; Participants will have an 8-hour sleep opportunity in the lab from 23:00 to 07:00.
Experimental: Partial sleep deprivation; Participants will have a 3-hour sleep opportunity in the lab from 03:00 to 07:00.	Behavioral: Partial sleep deprivation; Participants will have a 3-hour sleep opportunity in the lab from 03:00 to 07:00.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Energy intake	Energy and macronutrients intake will be collected using pictures and via a food scale	4 days in a free-living conditions.
Physical activity	Physical activity level and intensity will be collected using wearable devices	4 days in a free-living conditions.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Food preference	Computerised subjective food choice	Baseline and at the end of the 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Appetite sensations	Subjective appetitive feelings will be measured using a 0-100 mm visual analog scale (VAS), with higher values indicating more intense feelings.	At 0 (baseline), 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes during the 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Mood sensations	Subjective mood feelings will be measured using a 0-100 mm visual analog scale (VAS), with higher values indicating more intense feelings.	At 0 (baseline), 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes during the 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Sleep sensations	Subjective sleep feelings will be measured using a 0-100 mm visual analog scale (VAS), with higher values indicating more intense feelings.	At 0 (baseline), 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes during the 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Sleep	Sleep duration will be collected via wearable device.	4 days in a free-living conditions.
Glucose responses	Clucose responses will be collected using continuous glucose monitoring	4 days in a free-living conditions.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Taiwan Normal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 23, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Physical activity; Appetite; Food choice; Energy intake
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202412HM033-2

Drug and device information, study documents

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