Student Exercise and Sleep Timing Study - Part 2

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Sleep; Mood; Stress
• Interventions: Behavioral: Morning Exercise

• Registration Number: NCT06336590
• Lead Sponsor: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a morning exercise intervention on sleep (quality and duration), mood (positive affect, anxiety, depression, anger), stress and productivity among undergraduate students (18-23 years) evening-exercisers with poor self-reported sleep quality.

Aim 1. Compared to the control condition, evening-exercisers prescribed morning exercise will exhibit improved sleep quality (increased efficiency, decreased fragmentation) and increased sleep duration.

Aim 2. Compared to the control condition, evening-exercisers prescribed morning exercise will exhibit improved mood (increased positive affect, decreased depression, anxiety and anger).

Aim 3. Compared to the control condition, evening-exercisers prescribed morning exercise will exhibit decreased stress and increased productivity.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-02-29
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-03-20
• Study First Posted: 2024-03-29
• Study Start: 2024-10-21
• Status Verified: 2024-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-11-18
• Last Update Posted: 2024-11-21
• Primary Completion: 2026-12-01
• Study Completion: 2026-12-16

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 62

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy undergraduates (18-23 years)
• Frequent evening exercisers (6pm-11pm, 3+ times per week)
• Poor self-reported sleep quality
• Must be willing to wear wrist actigraph 24/7 except when showering/bathing

Exclusion Criteria

• Sleep/circadian rhythm disorders
• Medications for sleep
• Inability to change schedule to exercise in AM
• Inability to maintain exercise frequency over next 4 weeks

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Morning Exercise	Morning Exercise	Participants will change their exercise times to the morning (6am-11am).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sleep Quality	2 weeks	Determine if, compared to a control condition (maintaining usual schedule), shifting exercise from evening to morning improves sleep (quality and duration). Sleep quality includes variables such as the actigraph measured sleep period, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and wake after sleep onset. Sleep quality and duration will be measured using wrist actigraphy, specifically the Phillips Actiwatch Spectrum Plus devices. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale will also be utilized to measure sleep quality, where scores range from 0-24 and higher scores signify more exhaustion and poorer sleep quality.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mood	2 weeks	Determine if, compared to a control condition (maintaining usual schedule), shifting exercise from evening to morning improves mood (positive affect, depression, anxiety, anger). This will be measure using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short form questionnaires for anger, anxiety, depression, and positive affect. Each subsection has a separate score, with higher scores indicating higher levels of anger (scores range from 5-25), anxiety (scores range from 8-40), depression (scores range from 8-40), or positive affect (scores range from 15-75) for each subsection.
Productivity	2 weeks	Determine if, compared to a control condition (maintaining usual schedule), shifting exercise from evening to morning increases productivity. This will be measured using a 5-item questionnaire with a 4-answer scale of poor to excellent (1-4, respectively). The items ask about overall productivity, class attendance, time management, memory, and ability to maintain attention. Higher scores indicate greater productivity with scores ranging from 5 to 20.
Stress	2 weeks	Determine if, compared to a control condition (maintaining usual schedule), shifting exercise from evening to morning improves stress levels. This will be measured using the Perceived Stress Scale published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior in 1983. Higher scores indicate higher stress levels with scores ranging from 0 to 56.

Trial Locations

Locations (6)

College Avenue Gym; 🇺🇸 New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Cook/Douglass Rec Center; 🇺🇸 New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Rutgers Fitness Center; 🇺🇸 New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Rutgers Sleep Lab; 🇺🇸 New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Livingston Rec Center; 🇺🇸 Piscataway, New Jersey, United States

Werblin Rec Center; 🇺🇸 Piscataway, New Jersey, United States