Sleep Physiology Effects and Circadian Timing (SPECTRUM)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A randomised controlled trial examining the sleep and circadian mechanisms of sleep restriction therapy in young adults with depression and anxiety
IRAS ID
350096
Contact name
Simon Kyle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
000000, 000000
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Sleep problems are common in people who experience depression and anxiety. Research suggests that improving sleep may help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, but an understanding of how and why this happens requires further research.
Previous research has shown that we can improve sleep quality using a behavioural treatment called ‘sleep restriction therapy’ (SRT). This treatment involves reviewing the patient’s current sleep pattern and supporting them to follow a new, personalised sleep schedule. We want to find out whether using this treatment to improve sleep will also improve depression and anxiety and, if so, how it works. A better understanding of how treatments work may lead to the development of new treatments and those that are more personalised for the individual.
This study is funded by the Wellcome Trust. We plan to recruit 158 participants, aged 18-30 years who experience insomnia and either depression or anxiety from general practice and the community in Oxfordshire. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to one of two behavioural sleep improvement programmes, either SRT or Sleep Hygiene Education (SHE). All participants will complete assessments of sleep and mental health before treatment and at 4-, 8-, and 26 weeks after treatment. This will help us to determine whether the treatment has worked. We will measure symptoms of depression and anxiety using questionnaires. We will measure sleep quality using questionnaires, wearable and nearable devices, and through measurement of electrical brain activity. We will also measure participants’ ‘biological clock’ from samples of saliva, as well as biomarkers of inflammation from blood samples.
Our study will provide clear evidence on how behavioural sleep treatment works to improve sleep. Our research may lead to new ways of treating depression and anxiety in the future and provide important knowledge on how sleep and mental health are connected.REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0349
Date of REC Opinion
2 May 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion