Sleep, Stress and Learning: an Experimental Pilot Study

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Stress; Sleep
• Interventions: Behavioral: Music listening; Behavioral: Slow breathing

• Registration Number: NCT03657901
• Lead Sponsor: University of Helsinki

Brief Summary

To investigate the efficiency and effect of a programmed slow-breathing exercise in the evening to the heart rate variability, sleep quality and memory performance over night.

Detailed Description

Background Stress and increased alertness in the evening are major reasons for sleep onset problems, poor sleep and insomnia symptoms. For instance, increased amount of REM, and decreased amount of slow wave sleep may result. Also, the function of sleep in memory consolidation may suffer. They also affect the sleep structure and continuity during the night. They are highly prevalent phenomena among the entire population, including healthy adults and children. However, at the physiological level, the concept of evening alertness is still understudied and often neglected.

Recent advances show that breathing exercise is an efficient tool to reduce stress. However, its use specifically prior to sleep onset and with measurement sleep stages and their microstructures with sleep EEG has been little been studied before. The overall objective of this study is to explore interrelations of stress, learning and sleep quality.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-06-01
• Study First Submitted: 2018-08-29
• Status Verified: 2018-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-09-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-09-03
• Study First Posted: 2018-09-05
• Last Update Posted: 2018-09-05
• Primary Completion: 2018-10-30
• Study Completion: 2018-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

• age 20-45

Exclusion Criteria

• chronic disease requiring daily medication, acute sickness (e.g. a flu), jet lag from a recent travel, current diagnosed sleep disorder (such as snoring or insomnia) and any use of medication affecting autonomic nervous system function or sleep.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Music listening	Music listening	Guided music listening for 30 minutes before sleep onset
Breathing	Slow breathing	Guided slow breathing for 30 minutes before sleep onset

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sleep structure	Change from night 1 to night 2	Percent distribution of different sleep stages

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sleep spindle duration	Change from night 1 to night 2	Duration of sleep spindles in seconds
Sleep spindle power	Change from night 1 to night 2	Amplitude of sleep spindles in microvolts

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Helsinki; 🇫🇮 Helsinki, Finland