Effect of Sleep Extension on Body Weight and Learning in Children (More2Sleep)

Summary

More2Sleep is a randomized, controlled, parallel trial with two groups (sleep extension vs control) including 142 school-aged children (6-12 years) who have a BMI above average, defined as age- and sex-specific BMI Z-score above zero using WHO reference standards, and habitually sleep for ≤ 9 h/night. Data will be collected before and after a 3-month sleep extension intervention, and after a 6-month follow-up (at months 0, 3, and 9). The collection of data is mainly related to the main study. However, some optional examinations will be conducted on a first come, first serve basis, consisting of substudy-I (metabolic mechanisms, n=60) and substudy-II (learning mechanisms, n=142).

The primary objective is to assess the effects of sleep extension by \~45 min/night, achieved by going to bed 60-90 min earlier, on adiposity and learning ability in school-aged children who have a BMI for age and sex above average, and sleep less than recommended for their age.

Conditions

• Sleep Duration
• Child Obesity
• Child Development
• Child Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Sleep extension

The sleep extension group will receive a behavioral intervention focusing on parents putting their children to bed earlier by 60-90 minutes. Previous studies have found this change in daily sleeping routine to be feasible and to result in 40-45 min more actual sleep. Children and their parents will receive a behavioral intervention consisting of 6 sessions, including both in-person and virtual sessions, which will be scheduled based on the family's availability and to accommodate practicalities, e.g., potential sickness or cancellations. The first two sessions will occur at the beginning of the study. These initial sessions will focus on effective behavioral strategies to enhance sleep time, including goal setting (e.g., bedtimes and wake-up times), problem-solving and preplanning, stimulus control (i.e., sleep hygiene recommendations), and positive reinforcement. Subsequent sessions will be planned with the families to occur regularly during the 12-week intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Center for Obesity Research & Education, Temple University

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Southern Denmark

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Copenhagen

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Faidon Magkos, PhD · University of Copenhagen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-08-13

Primary Completion

2027-12-31

Completion

2028-12-31

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations