Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07337915

Improving Sleep In Midlife Women

This study purpose of this study to see how consuming pistachios and completing a health intervention session a study therapist may improve sleep health in midlife women with poor sleep. Participants in this study will be asked to consume a study snack for about one month, complete a health education session with a study therapist and record information about their sleep. At baseline and after the intervention we will collect information about sleep, alertness, body composition, and blood lipids.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Age range

45 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Texas Medical Branch

Galveston, Texas, 77555, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Emily J Lantz, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Emily Lantz, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

409-772-0643

Paula Skinkis, M.Ed

CONTACT

[email protected]

409-772-1907

Sara Nowakoski, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • All races and ethnic backgrounds
  • Between the ages of 45-65 years old
  • Women who meet STRAW staging criteria for late peri-menopause (STRAW score of -1) defined as interval of amenorrhea of 60 days OR meet STRAW staging criteria for early post-menopause (STRAW score of +1a, +1b or +1c) defined as >12 months since last menstrual period
  • History of poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score > 5)
  • Able and willing to provide informed consent
  • Access to an electronic device with teleconferencing capabilities (Teams, etc)
  • Willing to consume study intervention
  • Fluent (able to read and write) in English

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy or lactation
  • Recent (within the last 3 months) or current use of any prescription or over the counter medications that may impact sleep quality:
  • including, systemic steroids, anabolic steroids, growth hormone, immunosuppressants, psychotherapy)
  • recent (within the last 3 months) change in antidepressant medication useage or dosage
  • Untreated comorbid sleep disorders that are no known to be responsive to the behavioral interventions: These sleep disorders include but are not limited to narcolepsy, circadian rhythm disorder/shift work, restless leg syndrome, periodic leg movement disorder, obstructive sleep apnea.
  • Evidence of recent severe mental health disorders (e.g., suicide attempt or psychiatric hospitalization in past 3 years) that would, in the opinion of the investigator, affect sleep and/or make it difficult for the participant to the investigators instructions.
  • Recent (within past 3 years) treated cancer other than basal cell carcinoma
  • Current adherence to a weight-loss or weight-gain diet or use of GLP-1 RA medications
  • Active or recent (within the past 12 months) alcohol or substance use disorder
  • Allergy to study intervention (tree nuts)
  • Any other condition or event considered exclusionary by study PI

Treatment and study plan

HealthyHabits1

Behavioral

Participants in this group will be coached in a one hour session with a study therapist how to improve healthy habits (e.g.,diet/nutrition, activity, sleep).

HealthyHabits2

Behavioral

Participants in this group will coached in a one hour session by a study therapist on how to improve sleep habits.

Snack 2

Other

Participants in this group will consume 2 servings of pistachios daily for 30 days

Snack 1

Other

Participants in the group will consume 2 servings of potato chips daily for 30 days.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    PSQI is a questionnaire that assesses sleep quality, including both subjective experiences and objective parameters. There are 19 questions that are grouped into 7 components to create a global score. Each component score of the PSQI ranges from 0 to 3, with 3 indicating the greatest dysfunction or disturbance. The seven component scores are then summed to obtain a global PSQI score, which ranges from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality, with a score greater than 5 suggesting significant sleep difficulties.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Seated blood pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    In-office diastolic and systolic blood pressure will be measured using standard equipment. Blood pressure will be measures in mmHg.

  2. Change in Body Weight

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    Body Weight will be measured using a standardized scale and reported in kg.

  3. Change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    PROMIS Sleep Disturbance assess self-reported perceptions of sleep quality, sleep depth, and restoration associated with sleep. It is an 4-item questionnaire that has participants answer questions about perceived difficulties and concerns with getting to sleep or staying asleep, as well as perceptions of the adequacy of and satisfaction with sleep ranked from "not at all" to "always". A higher score indicates more severe sleep issues.

  4. Change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Related Impairment

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    The PROMIS Sleep Related Impairment questionnaire measures perception of sleepiness during usual awake hours. It is an 4-item questionnaire that has participants answer questions about how sleepiness interfered with their awake-time activities ranked from "not at all" to "always". A higher score indicates greater inference with sleepiness related interference.

  5. Change in 24-h Urinary Melatonin

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    Participants will collect urine at home for 24 h to be analyzed for urinary output of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s)melatonin, a metabolite of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by your body as a signal that it is time for sleep.

  6. Change in plasma IL-6

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    Plasma IL-6 will be measured using usual laboratory methodology. IL-6 is an inflammatory marker produced by the body. A decrease in IL-6 is considered an improvement.

  7. Change in Psychomotor Vigilance Testing (PVT)

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    Alertness and attention will be measured using standard 5 minute psychomotor vigilance testing. PVT simply involves responding to a light by pressing a button on a small handheld device.

  8. Change in sleep health measured by RU-SATED

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    RU-SATED stands for Regularity, Satisfaction, Alertness, Timing, Efficiency, Duration and is a 6-question validated multidimensional sleep health instrument measuring dimensions of sleep health. Participants are asked to rank components of their sleep health over the previous month. Items are each rated on three-point Likert scale from 0 (Rarely / Never) to 2 (Usually / Always), resulting in a total score from 0 to 12. A higher score indicating better sleep health.

  9. Change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Fatigue

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4)

    The PROMIS Fatigue questionnaire has 8 questions that ask participants on a five point scale of either 'not at all' to very much' or 'never' to 'always' different statements about fatigue and how it impacted their activities of daily living.

  10. Change in visceral fat

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    Visceral fat will be measured using dual x-ray absorptiometry. A greater change in visceral fat is considered good.

  11. Change in sleep latency assessed by actigraphy

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    Sleep latency is defined as time period measured from "lights out," or bedtime, to the beginning of sleep. Sleep latency will be assessed by actigraphy, a non-intrusive tool that measures an individual's movement during sleep. A mean value will be calculated with 7 days of wear. A negative change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  12. Change in sleep latency assessed by sleep diary

    Time frame: Baseline, Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    Sleep latency is defined as time period measured from "lights out," or bedtime, to the beginning of sleep. Sleep latency will be recorded by the participant in a diary. A mean value will be calculated with 7 days. A negative change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  13. Change in total sleep time assessed by sleep diary

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    Total nocturnal sleep time by diary will be calculated as total time in bed (awaking hour - bedtime hour) from which sleep latency was subtracted. Mean value from the past 7 days at each timepoint will be evaluated. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  14. Change in total sleep time assessed by actigraphy

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    Total nocturnal sleep time will be assessed by actigraphy, a non-intrusive tool that measures an individual's movement during sleep. Total nocturnal sleep time by actigraphy was total time in bed from which sleep latency, nocturnal wake time, and the time from waking up to leaving the bed were subtracted. Mean value from the past 7 days at each timepoint will be evaluated. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  15. Change in nocturnal awakenings assessed by actigraphy

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    The number of nocturnal awakenings will be assessed by actigraphy which is a non-intrusive tool that measures an individual's movement during sleep. Mean value from the past 7 days at each time point will be evaluated. A positive change from Baseline indicates a worsening.

  16. Change in nocturnal awakenings assessed by sleep diary

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    The number of nocturnal awakenings will be recorded by the participant in a diary. Mean value from the past 7 days at each timepoint will be evaluated. A negative change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  17. Change in sleep efficiency assessed by actigraphy

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    Sleep efficiency is defined is the percentile of total sleep time (TST) to time in bed (TIB), calculated as [(Total sleep time/total time in bed) * 100]. Sleep efficiency will be assessed by actigraphy, a non-intrusive tool that measures an individual's movement during sleep. Mean value from the past 7 days at each timepoint will be evaluated. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  18. Change daytime activity assessed by actigraphy

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Intervention (Up to Week 4), Post-intervention (Up to Week 5)

    Daytime activity level, as evaluated by the number of footsteps, will be assessed by actigraphy, a non-intrusive tool that measures an individual's movement. Mean value from the past 7 days at each timepoint will be evaluated. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.

  19. Change in total cholesterol

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    Total cholesterol will be measured using standard laboratory techniques. A decrease in total cholesterol is considered an improvement

  20. Change in high density lipoprotein (HDL)

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    HDL will be measured from a blood sample using standard laboratory techniques. An increase in HDL is usually considered an improvement.

  21. Change in low density lipoprotein (LDL)

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    LDL will be measured from a blood sample using standard laboratory techniques. An decrease in LDL is usually considered an improvement.

  22. Change in triglycerides

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    Triglycerides will be measured from a blood sample using standard laboratory techniques. A decrease in triglycerides is considered an improvement.

  23. Change in Insomnia Severity Index

    Time frame: Baseline, End of intervention (up to Week 4)

    The insomnia severity index (ISI) measures the frequency of various insomnia symptoms, including prolonged sleep latency, difficulty maintain sleep, early awakening, satisfaction with sleep, interference with the daily activities, if it is noticed by others and if it is causing distress. Each of the seven items is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (no problem) to 4 (very severe problem), resulting in a total score that can range from 0 to 28. A higher score indicates greater insomnia symptoms.

Other outcomes

  1. Energy intake assessed 3-day food record

    Time frame: Baseline

    Participants will be asked to complete a 3-day food record using ASA24. The three day average energy intake will be calculated.

  2. Energy intake assessed by 3-day food record

    Time frame: End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    Participants will be asked to complete a 3-day food record using ASA24. The three day average energy intake will be calculated.

  3. Satisfaction Survey

    Time frame: End of intervention period (up to Week 4)

    Treatment Satisfaction Scale is a 11-question measure provided after treatment. It measures participants' perceptions on the treatment's effectiveness, benefits, and influence on quality of life (e.g., improvements in work productivity, mood, etc.). Questions are measured on a 5-point Likert scale from Not at all to Very Much (6 questions) and also include 5 open ended questions.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Emily Lantz, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Paula Skinkis, M.Ed

CONTACT

[email protected]

409-772-1907

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

Other

Collaborators

  • American Pistachio Growers

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 13, 2026
Registry last updated
Mar 3, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.