NCT07329283

Nighttime Synchrony of Your Nutrition and Circadian Health

Nighttime Synchrony of Your Nutrition and Circadian Health: The N-Sync Study

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Utah · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Sleep is an important factor for overall health. This study will see how different light exposure patterns and food intake impact a person's metabolism (how the body breaks down food) when sleeping is reduced. Participants will attend 6 to 8 in-person visits to the study clinic, including three overnight stays. People will complete surveys and medical tests. The study will last about 4 to 6 months.

Detailed description

This study is a randomized in-lab, cross-over trial. Each participant will complete all three arms in either condition order #1 (A-B-C) or order #2 (A-C-B). Each arm will consist of 5 nights of experimental sleep restriction followed by a constant routine protocol for assessment of 24-h rhythms. Sleep restriction in the three arms will occur under the following conditions: (A-control condition) Sleep Restriction with Central and Peripheral Alignment; (B) Sleep Restriction with Central Clock Misalignment; and (C) Sleep Restriction with Peripheral Misalignment. Prior to enrollment participants will complete a comprehensive medical history and clinical overnight sleep disorders screening. Baseline consists of a \~2-week ambulatory real-world monitoring segment that will occur immediately prior to each in-lab sleep restriction condition. Following the 5 days of sleep restriction in each arm, participants will complete an intravenous glucose tolerance test to analyze insulin sensitivity, prior to completing the constant routine.

Conditions

• Sleep
• Metabolism Changes
• Circadian Rhythm
• Lifestyle Factors
• Sleep Hygiene
• Sleep Hygiene, Inadequate
• Sleep Deprivation
• Insufficient Sleep
• Circadian Misalignment
• Circadian Dysregulation
• Light Exposure

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Central Clock Misalignment	Light exposure will be dimmed during the first 4 hours of scheduled wakefulness, with bright light exposure during the nighttime hours of extended wakefulness.
BEHAVIORAL	Peripheral Misalignment	Most daily calories will be given later in the day to shift eating patterns toward the nighttime hours.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-19
• Primary completion: 2030-05-31
• Completion: 2031-05-31
• First posted: 2026-01-09
• Last updated: 2026-01-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States