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

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how varying amounts of sleep affect blood flow in the brain. Researchers aim to determine whether restricted sleep alters brain blood flow and if this effect differs between men and women. Participants will attend two study visits: one following a night of normal sleep and another after only four hours of sleep. Healthy adults who do not smoke and are not on sleep-affecting medications may be suitable for this study. As an unphased trial, it offers participants the opportunity to contribute to significant research on sleep and brain health.

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 prior data suggests that restricted sleep is safe for participants?

Research shows that insufficient sleep can noticeably affect both body and mind. Studies have found that even one night of limited sleep can increase sleepiness and reduce alertness.

Lack of sleep causes more than just tiredness. It leads to trouble focusing and slower thinking, issues linked to prolonged insufficient rest. Long-term sleep deprivation has been associated with health problems like weight gain and other negative effects.

While this provides an overview of sleep restriction's effects, the specific study under consideration will explore how these changes impact blood flow in the brain. Consider how these findings might relate to personal experiences. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores how restricted sleep might impact brain health, an area not typically addressed by standard treatments like medication or cognitive therapies. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on managing sleep disorders or improving sleep quality, this study investigates the direct effects of limited sleep on brain function. By examining these effects, researchers hope to uncover new insights into sleep's role in cognitive health, potentially leading to innovative strategies for preventing or treating cognitive decline.

What evidence suggests that restricted sleep impacts brain blood health?

This trial will compare the effects of restricted sleep with normal sleep on brain health. Research has shown that insufficient sleep can seriously impair brain function. One study found that missing just one night of good sleep can increase fatigue and reduce concentration. Another study found that chronic sleep deprivation can alter brain function over time. Lack of sleep can also cause lapses in focus and slower thinking. These findings suggest that inadequate sleep affects brain health by altering blood flow in the brain and cognitive performance. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

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 not had a major heart event or surgery in the last 3 months.

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

Timeline for a Trial Participant

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

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

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.

How Is the Trial Designed?

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+

Published Research Related to This Trial

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10155483/

The consequences of sleep deprivation on cognitive ... Studies show that consistently restricting sleep overtime is more harmful in comparison to a single night of total SD. When sleeping, an individual experiences ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079224000443

Impact of one night of sleep restriction on sleepiness and ... Overall, results suggest that a single night of restricted sleep can increase subjective sleepiness and impair sustained attention, a cognitive function crucial ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2656292/

Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance - PMC Chronic sleep restriction may cause long-term changes in brain functions that are not reversible during short adaptation and baseline periods in sleep ...

4. jcsm.aasm.org jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.26918

Behavioral and Physiological Consequences of Sleep ... Restricting sleep below an individual's optimal time in bed (TIB) can cause a range of neurobehavioral deficits, including lapses of attention, slowed working ...

5. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1559969/full

The impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive function in ... Comprehensive analysis indicates that sleep deprivation significantly impacts work efficiency, life quality, and physical health. Long-term ...

6. academic.oup.com academic.oup.com/sleep/article/44/8/zsab051/6149527

Effects of six weeks of chronic sleep restriction with weekend ... Epidemiological studies have consistently found that chronic short or interrupted sleep duration is associated with negative health outcomes, including obesity, ...

7. esrs.eu esrs.eu/news/sleep-science-friday/impact-of-one-night-of-sleep-restriction-on-sleepiness-and-cognitive-function-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/

Impact of one night of sleep restriction on sleepiness and ... The results showed a significant decrease in subjective alertness following sleep restriction. Participants reported feeling sleepier, as ...