Influence of Nocturnal Light Exposure on the Impairment of Glucose Tolerance Induced by Chronic Sleep Restriction

Sleep Clinical Trial

Official title:

Influence of Nocturnal Light Exposure on the Impairment of Glucose Tolerance Induced by Chronic Sleep Restriction

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04868539
• Other study ID #: 2021P000961
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 15, 2022
• Est. completion date: April 30, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: March 2024
• Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This project is designed to test for the first time whether glucose metabolism is differentially impaired by sleep restriction with and without additional exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN).

Description:

Laboratory studies have shown that sleep restriction to 4-6h per night for durations varying from one to 14 days reduces glucose tolerance in otherwise healthy adults, but the mechanisms by which insufficient sleep impairs glucose metabolism are still unknown. Current theories are based on the premise that the adverse metabolic consequences are caused by reduction in the duration of sleep per se. However, sleep curtailment is typically accompanied by longer exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN), which is an environmental endocrine disrupter that profoundly disrupts circadian rhythms.

The investigators have previously reported that acute circadian misalignment induced hyperglycemia comparable to pre-diabetic states in a third of otherwise healthy participants. Since then, the investigators have shown that even when the circadian phase of participants was realigned, prior exposure to 2 ½ weeks of chronic sleep restriction combined with a history of recurrent circadian disruption induced even more deleterious effects on glucose metabolism, in which pancreatic beta cells failed to respond adequately to increased glucose levels. Moreover, both night and rotating shift work (which induce circadian disruption) are associated with increased risk for metabolic problems. Night shifts can lead to acute increases in glucose and insulin levels, although some studies report reduced insulin release in response to meals consumed during the night. Given that circadian disruption has been shown to independently adversely affect metabolism, and exposure to ALAN adversely impacts metabolism in animals, it is important to understand the extent to which circadian disruption contributes to the observed impact of sleep curtailment on metabolism. No previous studies of the metabolic impact of sleep restriction in humans have controlled for this additional exposure to ALAN, thus confounding the effects of sleep restriction with the effects of circadian disruption caused by extended exposure to ALAN.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: April 30, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: March 1, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 20 Years to 40 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adults with conventional and regular sleep-wake timing

• Non-smokers

• Completion of medical, psychological, and sleep screening tests

• Able to spend 33 consecutive days/nights in the laboratory

• Normal color vision

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of neurological or psychiatric disorder

• History of sleep disorder or regular use of sleep-promoting medication

• Current prescription, herbal, or over-the-counter medication use

• Traveling across 2 or more time zones within past 3 months

• Donating blood within past 8 weeks

• Worked night or rotating shift work within past 3 years

• Hearing impairment, visual impairment

• History of eye trauma or surgery

• Drug or alcohol dependency

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Glucose Intolerance
• Sleep
• Sleep Deprivation

Intervention

Other:
• Artificial Light At Night
90 lux lighting for 19hr/day

Behavioral:
• Sleep Restriction
5-hr of sleep/night

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Impairment of Insulin Sensitivity	Test the hypothesis that exposure to one week of sleep restriction with concurrent exposure to extended duration ALAN (Artificial Light at Night) (LD 19:5) will induce greater impairment of insulin sensitivity (Si), as assessed by an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT), than exposure to one week of sleep restriction without extended duration ALAN (LD 14:10). Insulin sensitivity will be assessed via minimal model analysis.	Change between Study Day 7 vs. Study Day 15 and Study Day 24 vs. Study Day 32
Primary	Impairment of Glucose Tolerance	Test the hypothesis that exposure to one week of sleep restriction with concurrent exposure to extended duration ALAN (LD 19:5) will induce greater impairment of glucose tolerance than exposure to one week of sleep restriction without extended duration ALAN (LD 14:10). Glucose tolerance will be calculated as the rate of glucose disposal over the first 20 minutes after glucose administration.	Change between Study Day 6 vs. Study Day 14 and Study Day 23 vs. Study Day 31
Primary	Duration of Nocturnal Melatonin Secretion	Test the hypothesis that exposure to one week of sleep restriction with concurrent exposure to extended duration ALAN (LD 19:5) will reduce the duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion as compared to baseline more than exposure to one week of sleep restriction without extended duration ALAN (LD 14:10). Duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion will be determined by the duration of time at which melatonin levels are above 25% of their nightly peak levels.	Change between Study Day 15-16 vs. Study Day 32-33
Secondary	Levels of long-chain highly unsaturated triglycerides	Test the hypothesis that exposure to one week of sleep restriction with concurrent exposure to extended duration ALAN (LD 19:5) will lead to a greater reduction in the levels of long-chain highly unsaturated triglycerides than exposure to one week of sleep restriction without extended duration ALAN (LD 14:10). We will use liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to detect lipids of interest. We will focus on triglycerides associated with diabetes risk (e.g. TG44:1, TG46:1, etc.)	Change between Study Day 7 vs. Study Day 15 and Study Day 24 vs. Study Day 32
Secondary	Proteomic Profile	Test the hypothesis that exposure to one week of sleep restriction with concurrent exposure to extended duration ALAN (LD 19:5) will lead to a change in the proteomic profile compared with exposure to one week of sleep restriction without extended duration ALAN (LD 14:10). Blood samples will undergo multiplexed proteomic profiling to search for proteins that are reliably increased or decreased following sleep restriction with ALAN compared to sleep restriction without ALAN.	Change between Study Day 7 vs. Study Day 15 and Study Day 24 vs. Study Day 32