Active clinical trials for "Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm"

Shift work deeply impacts on temporal organization leading to a circadian desynchronization, which translates into a worsening of the sleep quality and work ability during waking hours. Furthermore, also the fine motor control skills and the subjective mood profile could undergo modifications in relation to the acquired sleep debt. The misalignment between working time and physiological/behavioral functions could have negative influences on the levels of spontaneous daily activity, with possible alteration of the activity-rest rhythm of the worker, especially in clinics. In relation to the participants' chronotype, the aim of this project will be to evaluate the effect of irregular working hours (shift work) on (i) the sleep quality, (ii) the circadian rhythm of activity levels and, (iii) the motor control. These assessments will help to identify the shift type with less impact on the health status in a nurse cohort.

Particulate matter exposure during smoke inhalation provokes inflammatory immune responses in people exposed to burning biomass including fire fighters and civilians. Persistent occupational exposure to particulate matter represents a unique hazard for firefighters, underpinning a burgeoning research area. This trial will evaluate the effects of sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm disruption on the inflammatory response to woodsmoke associated particulate matter exposure. Participants will undergo 2 experimental trials in a randomized cross-over design. Participants will have either an 8-hour sleep opportunity or a 4-hour sleep opportunity prior to reporting to lab for a 45 minute simulated firefighting trial (wood smoke associated particulate matter filtered to 2.5 um at a concentration of 250 ug/m^3, while exercising at a moderate intensity). The effects of sleep restriction and simulated firefighting will be measured.

General anesthesia is a medically induced state of low reactivity consciousness involving amnesia, immobility, unconsciousness, and analgesia, which is similar to natural sleep. Its aim is to create a state of sensory deprivation to induce a lack of motor reaction to stimuli and to obtain an explicit amnesia. Some studies found that general anesthesia as an independent risk factor could result in a desynchronization of the circadian time structure and cause postoperative sleep disorders characterized by reduced rapid eye movement (REM) and slow wave sleep (SWS), which have significant deleterious impacts on postoperative outcomes, such as postoperative fatigue, severe anxiety and depression, emotional detachment and delirium, and even pain sensitivity or postoperative pain of patients.Several studies also indicated that circadian rhythms existed in human and controlled by a main internal central clock, the suprachiasmatic nuclei, located in the anterior hypothalamus, which produce and regulate biological rhythms such as sleep arousal, hormones and metabolism could also affect the dose of general anesthesics, which lead to different postoperative recoveries and may have different effects on postoperative sleep quality. Previous studies proved that postoperative sleep disturbances and poor sleep quality are associated with higher postoperative pain, changes in behavior and poor emotional well-being, which could further aggravate postoperative sleep quality. At present, there are few studies which are about the effect of circadian rhythm for different timing of surgery on intraoperative anesthestic requirement, postoperative sleep quality and pain under general anesthesia.

The specific aims of this studyare to examine the 1) feasibility; 2) acceptability; and 3) preliminary efficacy of a tailored music intervention in home-dwelling older adults with dementia suffering from sleep disruption. Sixty dyads (older adults with dementia and their caregivers) will be randomized to receive the tailored music intervention immediately or following a four week delay.

Hetlioz™ (tasimelteon) is used in the treatment of Non-24-Hour-Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24). Non-24 is very common in people who are totally blind because light can not reset their body clock. This causes the internal sleep-wake cycle to be out of sync with the 24-hour day-night. Non-24 is a serious, chronic circadian rhythm disorder in the blind that causes nighttime sleep problems and a wide range of daytime difficulties, including an overwhelming urge to nap. Tasimelteon will be given in two ways; orally (by mouth) as a 20 mg capsule and intravenously (I.V.) by infusion through a catheter (not an injection) into a vein. The oral administration is approved by the FDA. The I.V. administration is considered investigational as it has not been approved by the FDA. This will be the first time tasimelteon will be given to humans by intravenous (I.V.) injection. The purposes of this research study are to: assess how quickly a single 20 mg oral dose of tasimelteon is absorbed into the body; evaluate the single-dose pharmacokinetics of tasimelteon after a single 20 mg oral dose and after a single 2 mg I.V. dose; evaluate the single-dose pharmacokinetics of tasimelteon metabolites after a single 20 mg oral dose and after a single 2 mg I.V. dose; evaluate the safety and tolerability of a single 20 mg oral dose of tasimelteon; and evaluate the safety and tolerability of a single 2 mg I.V. dose of tasimelteon. Pharmacokinetics (PK) is the study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eventually eliminated by the body. Pharmacokinetics is what the body does to the drug. Blood samples will be taken throughout the study for PK analysis.

Open-label Study to Investigate the Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Tasimelteon in Children and Adolescents.

The aim of the study is to compare the implementation and effectiveness of group and self-help based cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I) delivered by occupational health services (OHS) in a randomized and controlled design (RCT) among different types of shift workers.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of a one year open-label treatment of tasimelteon in male and female subjects with Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder.

Adolescence associates with alterations in sleep-wake organization, such as later circadian phase preference. Simultaneously external pressures, such as evening-driven social activities increase. These may lead to delayed sleep phase, which may cause serious problems for waking up at socially accepted times, and absenteeism from the school may follow. This project aims at tracking risk factors for later circadian regulation problems, characterizing interconnections of biological, psychological and behavioural mechanisms that maintain or induce poor sleep regulation in adolescence, and building a cost-effective, theoretically-based sleep intervention for adolescents with delayed sleep phase. This randomized control trial capitalizes on a new population-based cohort of 16-17-year olds.

Depression is a major health challenge, and despite developments in pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy a substantial part of patients will only recover very slowly and incompletely, and 10-25 % of the patients are resistant to treatment. Therefore, new treatment initiatives are in demand. Chronotherapeutics can regulate diurnal rhythms and sleep, and have shown promising results on antidepressant effects. Among chronotherapeutic treatment modalities, Bright Light Therapy (BLT) has been used in treatment of depression and sleep disorders for several decades with both an antidepressant and a sleep improving effect. BLT has also been shown to augment antidepressant therapy. Objectives. The objective of this trial is to investigate the feasibility of a combination of LED-light armatures aiming to mimic sunlight, when installed in the patient rooms of a psychiatric inpatient Ward. Investigators has opted for using a randomized design that will subsequently be tested in a larger clinical trial with depression severity as the primary outcome. In this feasibility study investigators will register the stability of the system, the influence of the light on patients regarding tolerability, comfort, depression level, and sleep. Investigators also so want to measure and collect specific light-data on the Non-image-forming light (NIF) by using specially designed light sensors to capture the spectral distribution of the light. Finally investigators will test the electronic case report form (eCRF) that has been designed for the trial. Design. The design is a randomised controlled feasibility trial with two arms: an active dynamic light trial arm and a standard light trial arm with blinding of depression outcome assessors (Hamilton depression rating scale), data collection, and data analyses. Randomization will be with a rate for active and standard of 2 to 1.