Evening Screen Content and Sleep Architecture in Older Adults: Crossover RCT
ConditionSleep
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age60-75
SponsorBlekinge Institute of Technology
About this trial
Title
The Effect of Evening Technology Use with Calming vs. Exciting Content on Sleep Architecture in Older Adults: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial
Background
The study explores how evening use of digital devices with different types of content (calming vs. exciting) affects sleep in older adults. While technology's effects on sleep have been studied in younger populations, its specific impacts on older adults remain under-researched. This study fills that gap by focusing on subjective and objective sleep measures.
Objectives and Research Questions
Objective: Compare the effects of calming digital content, exciting digital content, and non-digital activities on sleep architecture.
Key Questions:
How does content type impact sleep architecture and quality? Does calming content lead to better sleep outcomes than exciting content? Are there subjective differences in sleep quality across conditions?
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age 60 - 75 years
Regular evening use of digital devices (e.g., smartphones or tablets)
Willing and able to wear an EEG headband for sleep monitoring throughout the intervention
Disqualifiers
Diagnosed sleep disorder
Severe cognitive impairment
Current use of medications that significantly influence sleep (e.g., melatonin, benzodiazepines)
Trial design
Design model
Crossover
Treatments tested in this trial
Calming digital content
BehavioralParticipants watch a curated selection of soothing documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough for 30-60 minutes each evening during one hour before bedtime.
Exciting Digital Content
BehavioralParticipants engage with the interactive word-based game Ruzzle for 30-60 minutes each evening during one hour before bedtime, designed to provide mental stimulation.
Non-digital book reading
BehavioralParticipants read a non-fiction book of their choice for the same duration, avoiding all digital screens during one hour before bedtime before bedtime.
Treatment groups
50 Participants
are divided into 3 treatment groupsGroup A: Calming Digital ContentExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Exciting Digital ContentExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group C: Non-Digital Pre-Sleep ActivityActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Sleep architecture REM
Sleep architecture containing sleep stages REM - Random eye movement stage.
Time frame
Nightly during each participant's 7-day intervention periods - Week 1 (Days 1-7), Week 3 (Days 15-21), and Week 5 (Days 29-35) after that participant's enrollment; up to 5 weeks per participant.2
Sleep architecture Deep Sleep
Sleep architecture containing sleep stages, Deep sleep
Time frame
Nightly during each participant's 7-day intervention periods - Week 1 (Days 1-7), Week 3 (Days 15-21), and Week 5 (Days 29-35) after that participant's enrollment; up to 5 weeks per participant.3
Sleep architecture, light sleep
Sleep architecture containing sleep stages, light sleep
Time frame
Nightly during each participant's 7-day intervention periods - Week 1 (Days 1-7), Week 3 (Days 15-21), and Week 5 (Days 29-35) after that participant's enrollment; up to 5 weeks per participant.4
Sleep latency (time to fall asleep)
time to fall asleep- through EEG headband
Time frame
Nightly during each participant's 7-day intervention periods - Week 1 (Days 1-7), Week 3 (Days 15-21), and Week 5 (Days 29-35) after that participant's enrollment; up to 5 weeks per participant.Secondary outcomes
1
Subjective sleep quality
Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale. Range 0 (Terrible) to 10 (Excellent)
Time frame
Each morning from Day 1 through Day 35 after each participant's enrollment, covering all intervention and washout weeks; up to 5 weeks per participant2
Comfort of using the EEG headband
How comfortable do you find wearing the EEG headband at night? 1. \- Very uncomfortable 2. \- Slightly uncomfortable 3. \- Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 4. \- Somewhat comfortable 5. \- Very comfortable
Time frame
Each morning during each participant's 7-day intervention periods - Week 1 (Days 1-7), Week 3 (Days 15-21), and Week 5 (Days 29-35) after that participant's enrollment; up to 5 weeks per participant3
Intervention Adherence
Participants will be asked whether they were able to complete the assigned evening activity the previous night. If the answer is "yes," they will also report how long they engaged in the intervention (in minutes). This self-report measure will help evaluate the feasibility and real-world compliance with each intervention condition.
Time frame
Each morning during each participant's 7-day intervention periods - Week 1 (Days 1-7), Week 3 (Days 15-21), and Week 5 (Days 29-35) after that participant's enrollment; up to 5 weeks per participantOther outcomes
1
Baseline survey
Before the first intervention phase, participants complete a baseline survey assessing: Sociodemographic characteristics (Gender, Living status, economic situation, working status, how many hours do you work, education status). Subjective sleep health (SATED 3 item likert scale instrument with five questions). Sleeping habits (sleep medication use?, Sleep-schedule regularity,Daytime napping, Evening screen exposure, Sleep disruption by physical symptoms (pain,itching), Sleep disruption by psychological factors, Night-time technology use, Nocturia). Chronotype (The reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire), general health status (0 bad to 4 excellent). Technology use (On average, how often have you used the INTERNET on your computer, tablet and smartphone in the last three months?).
Time frame
Baseline (Day 0, at enrollment; one-time survey)Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: