Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05816434

More Sleep: Pain Response to Longer Sleep

This study is being done to find out whether extending sleep for at least an hour per night, seven days a week, predicts a higher tolerance and a higher threshold for pain. This is a 21-day study. Participants will be asked to wear sleep- and heart- monitoring watches. Pressure pain and cold pain will be measured at study visits.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Sleep Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–24 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 to 24 (inclusive) years of age at enrollment
  • Fluent English speaker and reader
  • Willing to refrain from initiating new therapeutic interventions (e.g., medication; behavioral) designed to target sleep or pain for the duration of study participation

Exclusion criteria

  • Diagnosed with a sleep disorder
  • Diagnosed with a pain disorder
  • Has experienced a cold-related injury frostbite or has any other nerve damage to the feet
  • Has a history of injury to any of the muscular measurement sites for pain (I.e. shoulder, jaw, forearm)
  • Diagnosed with hypertension or cardiovascular disease
  • Evidence of hypertension
  • Diagnosed serious mental health disorder or substance use disorder
  • Taking any physician-directed pharmacologic intervention for sleep
  • Taking any physician-directed pharmacologic intervention for pain
  • Personal health history of traumatic brain injury
  • Pregnant
  • Current smoker

Treatment and study plan

Sleep Extension

Behavioral

>1 hour additional time in bed per night for 1 week.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in pressure pain threshold from before to after sleep extension

    Time frame: Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2).

    Bilateral response to a clinically standard algometer at 3 different physical palpation sites. A higher pressure reading indicates a better pain response.

  2. Change in pressure pain tolerance from before to after sleep extension

    Time frame: Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2).

    Bilateral response to a clinically standard algometer at 3 different physical palpation sites. A higher pressure reading indicates a better pain response.

  3. Change in weekly average of momentary pain self-reports from before to after sleep extension

    Time frame: (averaged) Daily surveys during study week 1 (pre-intervention) and study week 2 (intervention)

    Intermittent pain intensity using a Visual Analog Scale (0-100, where 0 = "no pain", 100 = "worst pain imaginable in current circumstances"). Higher values indicated more pain, and a negative change indicates a decrease in pain.

  4. Change in thermal pain threshold from before to after sleep extension

    Time frame: Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2).

    Latency to respond to a bilateral cold pressor test (feet). A longer latency to threshold indicates better pain response.

  5. Change in thermal pain tolerance from before to after sleep extension

    Time frame: Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2).

    Latency to respond to a bilateral cold pressor test (feet). A longer latency to tolerance indicates better pain response.

  6. Change in pain inhibition from before to after sleep extension

    Time frame: Momentary at study visit 2 (at the end of week1) and a week later at study visit 3 (at the end of week2).

    Pain inhibition is measured as the difference in pressure pain threshold from before to after cold pressor procedure. A reduction in pressure pain threshold is typical after cold pressor procedure. A greater reduction in pain threshold indicates a better response of the pain inhibitory system.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Penn State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Can More Sleep Improve Pain Responses, Symptomatology, and Regulation in College Students?

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Apr 18, 2023
Registry last updated
Feb 2, 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.

Related clinical trials

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