Impact of Yo-Yo Sleep Patterns on Cardiometabolic Health in Young to Middle-Aged Adults

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate how repeated intermittent short sleep, with short sleep maintained five days per week followed by two days of longer sleep, affects energy balance and cardiometabolic risk in young to middle-aged adults aged 18 to 49 years. The study also examines whether keeping a constant midpoint of sleep during intermittent short sleep results in better health outcomes compared to a two-hour delay in sleep midpoint. The trial addresses the common real-life pattern where people insufficiently sleep on weekdays and compensate with longer weekend sleep, which may impact cardiometabolic health and obesity risks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups for a four-week outpatient intervention. One group will maintain stable adequate sleep with consistent bed and wake times and sufficient sleep duration. The second group will follow intermittent short sleep with five nights of 5.5 hours time in bed and two nights of 9.5 hours, with advanced bedtimes and delayed wake times. The third group will have intermittent short sleep with the same schedule but maintain constant bedtimes and delayed wake times to simulate short jetlag. During the study, participants will undergo assessments that include fasting plasma glucose, insulin levels, morning and evening blood pressure, and fat mass measurement up to four weeks. Additional measures involve cholesterol levels, inflammatory markers, energy expenditure, and hormone levels before and after meals. Researchers will monitor participants' adherence to sleep schedules and evaluate cardiometabolic markers to understand the impact of different sleep patterns on health over the study period.

Impact of Yo-Yo Sleep on Cardiometabolic Health