Skip to content

Examining the Circadian Timing Effects of the Hypotensive Response to Exercise

Examining the Circadian Timing Effects of the Hypotensive Response to Exercise

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07049783
Acronym
XTIME
Enrollment
30
Registered
2025-07-03
Start date
2025-07-22
Completion date
2026-09-30
Last updated
2025-08-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Circadian Rhythm, Hypertension, Post-Exercise Hypotension, Young Adults

Keywords

Young adults, Hypertension, Post-exercise hypotension, Circadian rhythm

Brief summary

The goal of this study is to learn how exercise timing affects blood pressure in adults with elevated or high blood pressure. Exercise can influence the body's natural 24-hour rhythms, including blood pressure patterns. A single exercise session can lower blood pressure for up to 24 hours, but it is not fully understood how the time-of-day for exercise affects this response. The main question this study aims to answer is: • When the same participant exercises at different times of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), how does this affect the participant's blood pressure over the next 24 hours? Participants will: * Undergo an in-lab assessment of individual biological rhythm that will indicate the clock-time for an individual's biological night * Complete 3 supervised treadmill exercise sessions * 1 in the biological morning (biological night + 10 hours) * 1 in the biological afternoon (biological night + 15 hours) * 1 in the biological evening (biological night + 20 hours) * Complete a 24-hour blood pressure assessment before and after each exercise session

Detailed description

This fully counterbalanced, within-subject, randomized crossover trial will examine the time-of-day dependent hypotensive effect of exercise in adults aged 18-39 years with elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension. To examine this, participants will complete an assessment of dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO), the gold standard assessment of individual circadian phase, which will be used to subsequently prescribe three exercise sessions in the morning (10 hours after DLMO), afternoon (15 hours after DLMO), and evening (20 hours after DLMO) with 24-hour blood pressure assessment before and after each exercise sessions.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALExercise

A single standardized, in-lab, 30-minute monitored treadmill exercise session

Sponsors

Freda Patterson
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 39 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* 18-39 Years old * Resting blood pressure greater than or equal to 120/80 mmHg or less than 140/90 mmHg

Exclusion criteria

* Diagnosis or history of chronic or autoimmune disease (i.e., cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, endocrine, cancer) * Diagnosis or history of sleep disorder (i.e., obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome) * Alcohol or drug dependence * Elevated risk for sleep disorders * Elevated risk for clinical depression * Normotensive (blood pressure less than 120/80 mmHg) or stage 2+ hypertension (blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg) * Body mass index less than 18.5 or greater than 35 kg/m2 * Self-reported use of sleep medications/supplements (e.g., melatonin) * Self-reported use of medications influencing vascular physiology (e.g., antihypertensive medications, weight loss medications) * Highly physically active (greater than or equal to 300 minutes moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week) * Currently pregnant or breastfeeding * Current tobacco use (greater than or equal to 1 cigarette in the past month) * Nighttime or rotating shift work within the last 3 months * Contraindications to aerobic exercise

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Average daytime systolic blood pressure24-hoursChange in average daytime systolic blood pressure (post-exercise - pre-exercise)

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactFreda Patterson, PhD
fredap@udel.edu302-831-6588
Backup ContactThomas Keiser
tkeiser@udel.edu302-831-6588

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026