Restricted Sleep Impact on Brain Health

Overseen By Jackie Limberg, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Missouri-Columbia

Must not be taking: Sleep medications

Disqualifiers: Cardiovascular, Neurological, Diabetes, others

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

20 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial requires that you do not take any medications known to affect sleep, autonomic, metabolic, or cardiovascular health.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Restricted Sleep, Sleep Restriction, Sleep Deprivation on brain health?

Research shows that sleep restriction can lead to increased daytime sleepiness and impaired performance, but recovery sleep can reverse some negative effects like sleepiness and inflammation. However, performance deficits may persist, indicating that while some aspects of brain health can recover, others may remain affected. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is restricted sleep generally safe for humans?

Research shows that restricted sleep can lead to impaired cognitive performance, increased sleepiness, fatigue, and mood changes. Chronic sleep restriction may also increase the risk of errors and accidents, especially when combined with acute sleep loss. While these studies highlight potential risks, they do not provide a comprehensive safety profile for restricted sleep. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

How does restricted sleep impact brain health differently from other treatments?

This treatment is unique because it focuses on the effects of restricted sleep on brain health, rather than using drugs or other therapies. It examines how different durations and patterns of sleep loss affect brain function, which is less explored compared to total sleep deprivation. ^{1 8 9 10 11}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the impact of restricted sleep on brain blood health in healthy men and women. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * Whether morning cerebral blood flow velocity is greater following a night of normal sleep compared to restricted sleep * Whether the effect of sleep restriction on cerebral blood flow will be greater in males compared to females Participants will complete one 1-hour screening visit and two 2.5-hour study visits. Study visits will be conducted on two separate days.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for healthy men and women aged 18-45 with a BMI of 18-30, who don't use nicotine and aren't pregnant or breastfeeding. It's not for those with recent major heart events, high blood pressure, sleep-affecting meds, or history of liver, kidney, lung diseases; stroke; bleeding disorders; sleep apnea; diabetes; or substance abuse.

Inclusion Criteria

I am 18-45, have a BMI of 18-30, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and don't use nicotine.

Exclusion Criteria

I have a history of diabetes.

I have a history of liver, kidney, lung, heart, or brain disease.

I am not taking medication that affects sleep or heart health.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 hour

1 visit (in-person)

Study Visits

Participants undergo study visits to measure cerebral blood flow velocity and cerebrovascular reactivity under normal and restricted sleep conditions

2 days

2 visits (in-person, 2.5 hours each)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after study visits

1 week

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Restricted Sleep

Trial Overview The study looks at how restricted sleep affects brain blood flow in healthy adults. Participants will have their cerebral blood flow velocity measured after normal and restricted sleep nights to see if there's a difference and if the effect varies between males and females over two separate days.

Participant Groups

Group I: Restricted sleep Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will restrict sleep to four hours the night prior to the study visit.

Group II: Normal sleep Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Participants will sleep for 7-9 hours the night prior to the study visit.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Missouri-Columbia

Lead Sponsor

Trials

387

Recruited

629,000+

Findings from Research

Epidemiological studies suggest that adequate sleep is linked to better brain health, while disrupted sleep may increase the risk of central nervous system diseases like stroke and Alzheimer's, but the mechanisms behind this connection are not well understood.

Most animal studies have focused on how sleep is regulated rather than how sleep disruption affects brain health, and there is a need for more research on the impact of varying durations and patterns of sleep deprivation on gene and protein expression in the brain.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A review of sleep deprivation studies evaluating the brain transcriptome. Elliott, AS., Huber, JD., O'Callaghan, JP., et al.[2020]

Chronic sleep restriction (5 hours of sleep for 5 nights) significantly impaired spatial working memory performance in healthy participants, even after a recovery night of sleep, highlighting the lasting effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function.

Acute sleep deprivation (38 hours without sleep) further exacerbated impairments in spatial working memory for those with prior chronic sleep loss, indicating that individuals with sleep deficits are more vulnerable to cognitive decline during periods of acute sleep loss.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse interaction effects of chronic and acute sleep deficits on spatial working memory but not on verbal working memory or declarative memory. Hennecke, E., Lange, D., Steenbergen, F., et al.[2021]

Partial sleep deprivation in healthy adult men showed that restricting sleep to earlier hours (12:00 AM to 3:00 AM) resulted in less REM sleep and longer time to reach REM compared to later hours (3:00 AM to 6:00 AM).

Participants who had earlier sleep restriction performed better on psychomotor vigilance tasks, indicating that earlier sleep may enhance daytime alertness, and the negative effects of sleep deprivation can be reversed with adequate sleep.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of different sleep restriction protocols on sleep architecture and daytime vigilance in healthy men. Wu, H., Stone, WS., Hsi, X., et al.[2021]

Extended recovery sleep after a week of mild sleep restriction can effectively reverse increased daytime sleepiness and elevated IL-6 levels, as shown in a study with 30 healthy young adults over 13 nights.

While recovery sleep reduced cortisol levels and improved subjective sleepiness, it did not restore performance levels, indicating that while recovery sleep helps with some effects of sleep restriction, it may not fully counteract performance deficits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of recovery sleep after one work week of mild sleep restriction on interleukin-6 and cortisol secretion and daytime sleepiness and performance. Pejovic, S., Basta, M., Vgontzas, AN., et al.[2022]

Sleep restriction therapy (SRT) significantly reduces total sleep time by an average of 91 minutes during the first night, leading to increased daytime sleepiness and impaired vigilance in patients with psychophysiological insomnia, as observed in a study of 16 participants over a 4-week protocol.

Despite the initial negative effects on sleep and performance, subjective sleep quality and insomnia severity improved significantly, and most impairments returned to baseline levels after 3 months, suggesting that SRT can be effective but requires careful monitoring during treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep restriction therapy for insomnia is associated with reduced objective total sleep time, increased daytime somnolence, and objectively impaired vigilance: implications for the clinical management of insomnia disorder. Kyle, SD., Miller, CB., Rogers, Z., et al.[2022]

Insufficient sleep (less than 4 hours) significantly reduces cerebral blood flow, as indicated by lower oxyhaemoglobin levels in the frontal lobes, compared to sufficient sleep (8 hours).

One night of insufficient sleep negatively impacts cognitive function and driving performance, with participants showing lower accuracy in tasks and longer reaction times, highlighting the risks associated with sleep deprivation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Insufficient sleep impairs driving performance and cognitive function. Miyata, S., Noda, A., Ozaki, N., et al.[2022]

Sleep deprivation significantly impairs cognitive performance, affecting areas such as attention, memory, and overall cognitive speed, which can lead to serious social and health-related consequences.

Chronic sleep restriction can cause cognitive deficits to accumulate over time, often without the individual realizing it, and genetic factors may influence how vulnerable a person is to these cognitive impairments from sleep loss.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. Goel, N., Rao, H., Durmer, JS., et al.[2022]

Chronic sleep restriction and sleep disruption can impair cognitive performance and induce sleepiness and mood changes, similarly to total sleep deprivation, highlighting their significant impact on mental functioning.

This review emphasizes the need for more research on chronic sleep restriction and disruption, as they have been less studied compared to total sleep deprivation, yet show comparable effects on cognitive and neurophysiological functioning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Total sleep deprivation, chronic sleep restriction and sleep disruption. Reynolds, AC., Banks, S.[2015]

In a study involving 63 healthy adults, high cognitive workload increased feelings of fatigue and sleepiness, regardless of whether participants had enough sleep or were sleep restricted.

When combined with sleep restriction, high workload not only delayed how quickly participants fell asleep but also enhanced certain sleep homeostatic responses, indicating that cognitive demands can affect sleep quality and recovery.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cognitive workload and sleep restriction interact to influence sleep homeostatic responses. Goel, N., Abe, T., Braun, ME., et al.[2021]

Sleep deprivation (SD) negatively impacts cognitive functions such as attention and working memory, as well as emotional regulation, highlighting the importance of sleep for mental performance.

Neuroimaging studies reveal that SD affects brain regions involved in learning and memory, particularly the hippocampus, which may help explain cognitive and emotional challenges in clinical conditions related to sleep disruption.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The sleep-deprived human brain. Krause, AJ., Simon, EB., Mander, BA., et al.[2022]

Chronic sleep restriction, defined as getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, leads to significant neurobehavioral deficits, including attention lapses and cognitive dysfunction, comparable to the effects of total sleep deprivation over 1 to 3 nights.

Sleep restriction may also have negative physiological effects, impacting endocrine functions and metabolic responses, although the direct causal relationship between reduced sleep and adverse health outcomes is still unclear.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction. Banks, S., Dinges, DF.[2022]

References

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A review of sleep deprivation studies evaluating the brain transcriptome. [2020]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse interaction effects of chronic and acute sleep deficits on spatial working memory but not on verbal working memory or declarative memory. [2021]

3. Czech Republic pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of different sleep restriction protocols on sleep architecture and daytime vigilance in healthy men. [2021]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of recovery sleep after one work week of mild sleep restriction on interleukin-6 and cortisol secretion and daytime sleepiness and performance. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep restriction therapy for insomnia is associated with reduced objective total sleep time, increased daytime somnolence, and objectively impaired vigilance: implications for the clinical management of insomnia disorder. [2022]

6. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Insufficient sleep impairs driving performance and cognitive function. [2022]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. [2022]

8. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Total sleep deprivation, chronic sleep restriction and sleep disruption. [2015]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cognitive workload and sleep restriction interact to influence sleep homeostatic responses. [2021]

10. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The sleep-deprived human brain. [2022]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction. [2022]