Acute Sleep Loss and Arterial Stiffness

University of Pittsburgh

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Arterial Stiffness

Treatments: Other: Sleep Loss

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05940467

STUDY23030068

Details and patient eligibility

About

The overarching goal of this study is to mimic a night shift work like schedule and characterize circadian variation in Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), a measure of arterial stiffness, and determine the impact of acute loss of sleep like that experienced by shift workers on PWV.

Full description

Night shift work is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a commonly used non-invasive measure of arterial stiffness and is strongly associated with CVD. Previous research links sleep loss, like that experienced by shift workers, to elevated levels or abnormal levels of PWV. In addition, there is some research that shows circadian variation in PWV, which has implications for future studies and when PWV should be assessed. The overarching goal of this study is to characterize circadian variation in PWV and determine the impact of acute loss of sleep on PWV during a schedule like that experienced by night shift workers.

Enrollment: 3 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 29 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

An individual may be eligible to participate if they meet the following criteria:

1. are between the ages of 20 and 29 years;
2. have not been diagnosed or told by a healthcare clinician that they have a medical condition that may impact their blood pressure or cardiovascular health/system;
3. can abstain from smoking tobacco or chewing tobacco products;
4. can abstain from caffeine and exercise for 4 days in a row;
5. are not prescribed medications or take over the counter medications that may impact blood pressure or heart rate (a team physician will review any reported medications identified during screening);
6. do not have a physical condition that may interfere with using the upper arm, upper thigh, or access to the neck area for purposes of performing non-invasive measures linked to this protocol; and
7. feel that they can avoid working and complete the 4 day protocol without interruption.

Exclusion criteria

An individual will be excluded if they report:

1. a medical condition or diagnosis that may impact their blood pressure or heart rate;
2. taking any standing medications or prescriptions, other than over the counter medications or contraceptives, that may impact their blood pressure or heart rate;
3. are unable to adhere to a strict 4 day protocol that involves abstaining from caffeine, alcohol, tobacco products (nicotine), and exercise;
4. have a physical condition that may limit use of the upper arm or upper thigh or area around the neck, which is necessary for performing multiple non-invasive measures associated with this protocol.
5. being pregnant.

Because participants may awaken during the in-lab sleep opportunity when staff use the Sphygmocor device, it is important that staff and the study team know if the participant has ever experienced the following:

A] Sleep Paralysis; B] Night Terrors; C] Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea which requires the use of a CPAP Device; D] Become angry towards others when abruptly woken up; E] Become physical towards others when abruptly woken up.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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3 participants in 1 patient group

Sleep Loss

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will undergo a night shift work like schedule and be monitored with non-invasive devices while at-home (at set intervals) and during an in-lab phase (hourly) during a 97 continuous-hour protocol. During the in-lab phase, which is approximately 48 continuous hours, participants will undergo a 24-hour period of sleep loss, followed by a brief opportunity for an in-lab sleep opportunity of 5 hours, followed by another period of 19 hours of sleep loss before returning home for at-home monitoring. Measures of interest include arterial stiffness as measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and changes in subjective ratings (e.g., fatigue and sleepiness). Other measures include cognitive performance, total sleep during the protocol, and sleep depth during an in-lab sleep opportunity.

Treatment:

Other: Sleep Loss