An interventional study of Increased sleep duration in Sleep Deprivation, Insufficient Sleep Syndrome and Sleep Wake Disorders, sponsored by University of Utah. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 35 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-30.
Sponsored by University of Utah · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
This protocol will increase sleep duration in participants who maintain less than 6 hours sleep per night, to target the recommended 7 hours of sleep per night. The focus of this study is determine how increasing nightly sleep duration in these individuals who maintain less than 6 hours sleep per night changes their plasma metabolome and insulin sensitivity. The primary outcome will examine changes in branched-chain amino acids and the secondary outcome will examine changes in insulin sensitivity. The investigators will also determine if changes in plasma metabolites can be used as a biomarker to discriminate between adequate versus insufficient sleep.
Impaired sleep affects millions of people each year representing an important public health issue. This project will utilize metabolomics approaches to identify potential mechanisms underlying increased cardiometabolic risk associated with insufficient sleep and to identify potential biomarkers in the blood that respond to insufficient sleep. Investigators will conduct a controlled in-laboratory insufficient protocol where participants will sleep in the lab for one night with sleep timing based on their habitual insufficient sleep schedule. In the morning, plasma will be collected for metabolomics analyses and participants will complete an oral glucose tolerance test for insulin sensitivity analyses. Participants will then complete a 4 -week increased sleep duration intervention targeting the recommended 7 hours of sleep per night. Following this intervention participants will again sleep in the lab for one night on their new sleep schedule. In the morning, plasma will be collected for metabolomics analyses and participants will complete an oral glucose tolerance test for insulin sensitivity analyses. Investigators anticipate these findings will be the first step in developing biomarkers of impaired sleep under free-living sleep conditions, and to determine how such biomarkers relate to insulin sensitivity changes associated with sleep loss.
300 studies on the registry are indexed under Sleep Deprivation; 60 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 38 is below the median of 45 across 248 interventional studies indexed under Sleep Deprivation.
Browse Sleep Deprivation studies →University of Utah is the lead sponsor of 969 studies on the registry; 178 are open to participants now.
Of its 107 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 62 (58%) have results posted.
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18-35 years old; men and women
a. Equal numbers of women and men will be included.
Exclusion Criteria:
Following baseline assessments, participants will complete a 4-week increased sleep duration intervention followed by one night of sleep in the lab on this increased sleep duration schedule. In the morning, participants will have blood collected for metabolomics analyses and complete oral glucose tolerance testing
Behavioral: Increased sleep duration
Participants will increase their nightly time in bed by 2 hours per night for 4 weeks to target the recommended 7 hours of sleep per night.
Metabolomics-branched chain amino acids change from baseline
Investigators will measure the abundance of the branched chain amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine) in plasma at baseline and at post intervention.
Time frame: Morning fasted blood will be collected for analyses at baseline and after the four week increased sleep duration intervention.
Insulin Sensitivity change from baseline
Investigators will measure insulin sensitivity using the oral glucose tolerance test in the morning after overnight sleep assessments in the lab, at baseline and after the four week increased sleep duration intervention.
Time frame: Oral glucose tolerance testing will take about 3 hours to complete, and will be tested at baseline and after the four week increased sleep duration intervention.
Untargeted Metabolomics change from baseline
Investigators can detect relative abundance of \~4,000 plasma metabolites. A combination of metabolites that can discriminate between adequate versus insufficient sleep will be identified as a potential biomarkers of insufficient sleep in free-living adults.
Time frame: Morning fasted blood will be collected for analyses at baseline and after the four week increased sleep duration intervention.
Plan to share: Yes — Any data generated from the proposed work that is presented in a peer reviewed journal will be uploaded, de-identified, into the Metabolomics Data Repository and Coordinating Center (DRCC) (U01) through UCSD; http://www.metabolomicsworkbench.org/nihmetabolomics/datasharing.html. In addition, .raw data that is presented in a peer reviewed journal will be archived indefinitely and made available upon request.
This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Utah