Localized Body Cooling Technology on Sleep and Metabolism in African, American With Overweight and Obesity

Obesity and diabetes pose a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Evidence from large cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiologic studies, and well-designed experimental sleep manipulations, demonstrated that insufficient sleep is a risk factor for obesity-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Limited available evidence suggests that optimizing sleep duration and quality in individuals who experience deficient sleep could have beneficial effects on weight maintenance, facilitate weight loss and improve glucose metabolism. It is well known that body temperature impacts sleep. A rapid decline in core body temperature increases the likelihood of sleep initiation and may facilitate an entry into the deeper stages of sleep.

Pharmacological treatment is often prescribed for sleep disturbances, primarily insomnia. But sleep extension with benzodiazepines/sedative-hypnotic agents does not appear to have beneficial effects on metabolism, in fact, these drugs may even have an adverse effect on glucose metabolism. Many people use melatonin as a sleep aid, however, the available data do not support a major role of melatonin in body weight regulation and the evidence supporting melatonin administration in improving glucose metabolism has been mixed.

Limited studies suggest that localized cooling could represent a non-pharmacological strategy to favor sleep onset or improve sleep duration and/or quality.

Inclusion criteria

• African American men and women
• Aged 21-50 years
• BMI ≥ 27 to 45 kg/m2
• Self-report of short or poor sleepers (>5 < 7hrs /night and/or a score > 5 on the PSQI),
• Sleeping between 22:00 and 08:00.
• Ability to provide informed consent before any trial-related activities
• Controlled hypertension or dyslipidemia.

Exclusion criteria

• Previous diagnosis or reveled during the screening PSG (Polysomnography) of obstructive sleep apnea (AHI≥30) or other sleep disorders based on DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition) criteria.
• Shift work
• Diagnosis of diabetes based on history or screening tests
• History of cognitive or other neurological disorders
• History of major psychiatric disorder based on DSM-V criteria
• Presence of unstable or serious medical conditions
• Use within the past month of melatonin, psychoactive, hypnotic, stimulant or pain medications (except occasionally)
• Caffeine consumption of greater than 500 mg per day
• Medically managed weight loss program within the past 6 months
• History of bariatric weight loss surgery.
• Women who are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, are breastfeeding,
• Men or women who have a child at home that does not sleep through the night.
• Active drug/alcohol dependence or abuse