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Teen Sleep and Light Study

NCT04921215 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 88

Last updated 2025-09-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Circadian clocks shift later (delay) with the progression of puberty; this shift contributes to late sleep onsets in older adolescents. Early school start times, however, force teenagers to awaken earlier than their spontaneous wake time and the opportunity for sleep shortens. Chronic circadian misalignment and sleep restriction are at their peak during late adolescence, and are associated with various negative outcomes. Morning bright light exposure from light boxes can shift rhythms earlier (phase advance) to facilitate earlier sleep onset, and reduce circadian misalignment and the associated risks. Studies of adults, however, indicate that restricted sleep and exposure to evening light due to late bedtimes make morning bright light less effective in producing advances. Pilot data collected from adolescents mimic this finding, but also suggest that staying awake late in normal household lighting and the subsequent sleep restriction before and during a 3-day morning bright light regimen, can shift the system in the wrong direction (phase delay). The overarching goal of this study is to examine the dose of sleep restriction and evening household light that prevents the desired phase advance to morning bright light in adolescents aged 14-17 years. Study 1 aims to construct a sleep restriction with normal household evening light dose-response curve to determine the point at which morning bright light begins to lose its effectiveness. The investigators hypothesize that the circadian system will advance with sufficient sleep, but with increasing sleep restriction/evening light, circadian rhythms will not shift or will delay despite the phase advancing morning bright light. Study 2 will test whether reducing evening light exposure by wearing sunglasses before bedtime during sleep restriction can facilitate phase advances. The main outcome measures to build the dose-response curve will be phase shifts of the central circadian clock marked by the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) and total sleep time measured from actigraphy in the laboratory. Secondary outcomes include cognitive performance, sleepiness, and mood.

Conditions

  • Chronobiology
  • Light
  • Sleep
  • Circadian Rhythm
  • Adolescence

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Morning bright light

All participants will receive phase advancing morning bright light.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Rush University Medical Center

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
14 Years
Max Age
17 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-06-14
Primary Completion
2025-08-15
Completion
2025-08-15

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04921215 on ClinicalTrials.gov