Sleep Extension for Vascular Health

(SAVHS Trial)

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Auburn University

Must not be taking: Blood thinners

Disqualifiers: Hypertension, Obesity, Sleeping disorders, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to explore how increasing sleep each night affects heart health in young adults. Participants will either maintain their usual sleep routine or extend their sleep by one hour for two weeks. The goal is to determine if extra sleep can improve early signs of heart issues, such as blood pressure and blood vessel function. Individuals who typically sleep less than 7 hours a night and have no major health issues might be suitable for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to groundbreaking research on sleep and heart health.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you cannot participate if you use blood thinners.

What prior data suggests that this sleep extension is safe for cardiovascular health?

Past studies have shown that getting more sleep can improve health. Research suggests that people who sleep more might experience benefits like lower blood pressure, which is important because high blood pressure can lead to heart problems. Reports of serious side effects from sleeping more have not emerged. Therefore, getting more sleep appears to be a safe way to potentially enhance heart health, especially for those who currently sleep less than the recommended 7-9 hours per night. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about sleep extension as a potential protocol for vascular health because it explores a non-invasive and lifestyle-based approach to improving heart and blood vessel function. Unlike traditional treatments for vascular issues, which often involve medications or surgeries, this method simply requires participants to increase their time in bed by one hour each night. By focusing on improving sleep duration, researchers hope to uncover a natural and accessible method to support vascular health, potentially offering a simple and cost-effective alternative to conventional treatments.

What evidence suggests that sleep extension might be an effective treatment for cardiovascular health?

This trial will compare the effects of maintaining habitual sleep patterns with extending sleep duration. Research has shown that getting more sleep can improve heart health. One study found that adults who slept more had lower blood pressure, which helps prevent heart disease. Another study discovered that college students who increased their sleep experienced better sleep quality and healthier hearts and blood vessels. Even those with poor sleep habits can benefit from more sleep. These findings emphasize the importance of sleep for maintaining heart health, especially in young adults. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for young adults aged 18-25 who usually sleep less than 7 hours a night and don't have lung, metabolic, liver, or heart diseases. They should not have severe food allergies, eating disorders, high blood pressure (over 140/80 mmHg), a BMI over 35 kg/m2, be on blood thinners or have a history of sleeping disorders.

Inclusion Criteria

I do not have any metabolic diseases.

You usually sleep less than 7 hours per night.

I do not have any lung diseases.

Exclusion Criteria

I have a history of sleeping disorders.

I am currently taking blood thinners.

You do not have serious food allergies or eating disorders.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Habitual Sleep

Participants will follow their normal sleep schedule for 2 weeks

2 weeks

Sleep Extension

Participants will extend their time in bed by one hour for 2 weeks while being monitored

2 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Sleep Extension

Trial Overview The study looks at whether increasing sleep to the recommended 7-9 hours can improve heart and metabolic health in young adults. It aims to understand how better sleep might lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by examining changes in participants' vascular function.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Sleep extension Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will extend their time in bed by one hour for 2 weeks while being monitored.

Group II: Habitual Sleep Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will follow their normal sleep schedule for 2 weeks.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Auburn University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

81

Recruited

14,600+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Short sleep duration is linked to an increased risk of chronic health issues like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, highlighting the importance of adequate sleep for overall health.

While some studies suggest that extending sleep may improve health outcomes in individuals who typically get less sleep, more research is needed to determine if these benefits can effectively reverse the negative effects of chronic sleep deprivation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep Extension in Short Sleepers: An Evaluation of Feasibility and Effectiveness for Weight Management and Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention. Pizinger, TM., Aggarwal, B., St-Onge, MP.[2019]

In a study involving 12 middle-aged adults, extending sleep duration to over 10 hours did not negatively affect blood pressure or arterial stiffness, suggesting safety in terms of cardiovascular health.

However, the study found that longer sleep duration improved microvascular function, as indicated by increased peak forearm vascular conductance and total excess blood flow, highlighting a potential benefit of extended sleep on vascular health.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of five nights of sleep extension on peripheral vascular function: a randomized crossover investigation into long sleep duration. Gonzales, JU., Clark, C., Anderson, T.[2023]

A 6-week technology-assisted sleep extension intervention significantly improved total sleep time and reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension, indicating its potential efficacy in managing these conditions.

Participants found the intervention enjoyable and engaged well, completing 90% of coaching sessions, which suggests that such technology-assisted approaches could be feasible and well-received for improving sleep and health outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Technology Assisted Behavior Intervention to Extend Sleep Among Adults With Short Sleep Duration and Prehypertension/Stage 1 Hypertension: A Randomized Pilot Feasibility Study. Baron, KG., Duffecy, J., Richardson, D., et al.[2023]

A web-delivered sleep intervention significantly improved sleep quality and psychosocial health in 134 participants with mild sleep impairment, but it did not lead to significant reductions in blood pressure over 8 weeks.

The intervention group showed notable improvements in various sleep quality measures and mental health indicators, but the change in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure was similar to the control group, indicating that while sleep quality improved, it did not translate to immediate cardiovascular benefits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep to Lower Elevated Blood Pressure: A Randomized Controlled Trial (SLEPT). McGrath, ER., Espie, CA., Power, A., et al.[2018]

Recent research highlights the important connection between sleep and cardiovascular health, suggesting that better understanding of this relationship can lead to improved therapies.

Combining animal models with human trials can enhance scientific discovery and help address the global issues of insufficient sleep and cardiovascular disease.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep calibrates atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Cohen, O., Shah, NA., McAlpine, CS.[2023]

Sleep extension is a feasible intervention that can increase total sleep time by an average of 51 minutes, which may help improve sleep hygiene in free-living adults.

In individuals with pre-hypertension or Stage 1 hypertension, sleep extension significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, suggesting potential cardiovascular benefits for this group.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Feasibility of sleep extension and its effect on cardiometabolic parameters in free-living settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies. Zhu, B., Yin, Y., Shi, C., et al.[2022]

Patients with various cardiovascular diseases often experience poor sleep quality and duration, which are linked to worse cardiovascular outcomes, indicating that sleep issues should be addressed in treatment plans.

There is a complex, bidirectional relationship between sleep and cardiovascular diseases, suggesting that improving sleep could be a valuable target for treatment, although current studies show mixed results regarding survival benefits from sleep interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep - the yet underappreciated player in cardiovascular diseases: A clinical review from the German Cardiac Society Working Group on Sleep Disordered Breathing. Spiesshoefer, J., Linz, D., Skobel, E., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38268197/

Sleep extension and cardiometabolic health: what it ... - PubMed If effective, sleep extension interventions have potential to improve cardiometabolic health across the lifespan. Existing data show that ...

2. ahajournals.org ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.123.033043

Sleep Patterns and Traditional Cardiovascular Health Metrics Enhanced CVH significantly reduced CVD risk, even in individuals with a poor sleep pattern. These results emphasize the importance of ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352721819302177

Effects of sleep extension on sleep duration, sleepiness, ... This study demonstrates that substantive sleep extension is feasible in college students and can positively impact their sleep and cardiovascular health.

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11503376/

The Effect of Acute Sleep Extension on Blood Pressure Is ... The results of this study suggest that sleep extension has the potential to reduce blood pressure in midlife to older adults.

5. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2796565

Evaluation of Nonpharmacologic Interventions and Sleep ... This nonrandomized controlled trial examines the use of nonpharmacologic interventions to improve the length and quality of sleep in ...

6. acc.org acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2025/03/01/42/Prioritizing-Health-Sleep-and-Cardiovascular-Health

Prioritizing Health | Sleep and Cardiovascular Health A 2011 systematic review found that short sleep duration was associated with a 45% increased risk of coronary heart disease.4. Quality of sleep, ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10723785/

Unveiling the sleep‐cardiovascular connection: Novel ... The findings highlight a strong link between sleep problems and poor cardiovascular outcomes. Emerging diagnostic tools, such as enhanced sleep‐ ...

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003306202500074X

A social ecological perspective on interventions to address ... Given consistent observational evidence that better sleep health is protective against coronary heart disease (CHD), experts are increasingly recommending sleep ...

9. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01261390

Sleep Apnea Intervention for Cardiovascular Disease ... Moderate to severe sleep apnea (a high number of breathing pauses on a sleep study) is a common health problem that is often associated with loud snoring ...