More Sleep: Pain Response to Longer Sleep

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is being done to find out whether extending sleep for at least an hour per night, seven days a week, predicts a higher tolerance and a higher threshold for pain. This is a 21-day study. Participants will be asked to wear sleep- and heart- monitoring watches. Pressure pain and cold pain will be measured at study visits.

Official Title
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Can More Sleep Improve Pain Responses, Symptomatology, and Regulation in College Students?

Conditions
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Sleep, Pain

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Sleep extension


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: 18 to 24 (inclusive) years of age at enrollment Fluent English speaker and reader Willing to refrain from initiating new therapeutic interventions (e.g., medication; behavioral) designed to target sleep or pain for the duration of study participation Exclusion Criteria: Diagnosed with a sleep disorder Diagnosed with a pain disorder Has experienced a cold-related injury frostbite or has any other nerve damage to the feet Has a history of injury to any of the muscular measurement sites for pain (I.e. shoulder, jaw, forearm) Diagnosed with hypertension or cardiovascular disease Evidence of hypertension Diagnosed serious mental health disorder or substance use disorder Taking any physician-directed pharmacologic intervention for sleep Taking any physician-directed pharmacologic intervention for pain Personal health history of traumatic brain injury Pregnant Current smoker

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 24 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Sleep Extension<br>1 week of >1 hour increased time in bed | Behavioral: Sleep extension<br>* >1 hour additional time in bed per night for 1 week.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br>Sustained sleep behavior | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in pressure pain threshold from before to after sleep extension | Bilateral response to a clinically standard algometer at 3 different physical palpation sites. A higher pressure reading indicates a better pain response. | Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2). | 
| Change in pressure pain tolerance from before to after sleep extension | Bilateral response to a clinically standard algometer at 3 different physical palpation sites. A higher pressure reading indicates a better pain response. | Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2). | 
| Change in weekly average of momentary pain self-reports from before to after sleep extension | Intermittent pain intensity using a Visual Analog Scale (0-100, where 0 = no pain, 100 = worst pain imaginable in current circumstances). Higher values indicated more pain, and a negative change indicates a decrease in pain. | (averaged) Daily surveys during study week 1 (pre-intervention) and study week 2 (intervention) | 
| Change in thermal pain threshold from before to after sleep extension | Latency to respond to a bilateral cold pressor test (feet). A longer latency to threshold indicates better pain response. | Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2). | 
| Change in thermal pain tolerance from before to after sleep extension | Latency to respond to a bilateral cold pressor test (feet). A longer latency to tolerance indicates better pain response. | Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2). | 
| Change in pain inhibition from before to after sleep extension | Pain inhibition is measured as the difference in pressure pain threshold from before to after cold pressor procedure. A reduction in pressure pain threshold is typical after cold pressor procedure. A greater reduction in pain threshold indicates a better response of the pain inhibitory system. | Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2). |