Sleep, Mood, Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Exercise
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.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMorning Exercise
Exercise is changed from normal (6pm-11pm) exercise to morning (6am-11am) exercise.
Sponsors
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 23 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
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
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactResearch Coordinator
Outcome results
None listed