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Not yet recruiting NCT07001514

Evening Screen Content and Sleep Architecture in Older Adults: Crossover RCT

No phase Interventional Sleep

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Calming digital content, Exciting Digital Content, Non-digital book reading.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Sleep. Basic parameters: 60 years — 75 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Sweden
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

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Official title

The Effect of Evening Technology Use With Calming vs. Exciting Content on Sleep Architecture in Older Adults: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

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?

Detailed description

This study will compare the effects of watching calming (nature documentaries), playing exciting digital games like Ruzzle, and reading a physical book on older adults' subjective and objective sleep quality. This will be a randomized crossover trial. The investigators will exclude participants with diagnosed sleep disorders, Severe cognitive impairment, Use of sleep-affecting medications such as melatonin or benzodiazepines, or Irregular sleep schedules. A sample size of approximately 50 participants (49-51) will be recruited.

All the participants will have all three intervention periods with washout periods in between. During every intervention week, participants will fill out a quick nightly log about their sleep and what tech they used (smartphone, tablet, or a laptop/computer). During sleep, they will wear a comfy EEG headband measuring their sleep stages.

Because everyone eventually does all three conditions, the investigators can compare each person's own results and get more precise answers with fewer people.

The investigators will analyze the data and perform a statistical analysis. The study will be reported in the manuscript and published in a reputable journal.

Interventions

  • Behavioral Calming digital content
    Participants watch a curated selection of soothing documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough for 30-60 minutes each evening during one hour before bedtime.
  • Behavioral Exciting Digital Content
    Participants engage with the interactive word-based game Ruzzle for 30-60 minutes each evening during one hour before bedtime, designed to provide mental stimulation.
  • Behavioral Non-digital book reading
    Participants read a non-fiction book of their choice for the same duration, avoiding all digital screens during one hour before bedtime before bedtime.

Primary outcome measures

  • Sleep architecture REM [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.]
  • Sleep architecture 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.]
  • Sleep architecture, 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.]
  • Sleep latency (time to fall asleep) [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.]
  • Total sleep time (TST) [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.]
  • Sleep efficiency (SE) [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.]
  • Wake up after sleep onset (WASO). [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 outcome measures (3)
  • Subjective sleep quality [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 participant]
  • Comfort of using the EEG headband [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 participant]
  • Intervention Adherence [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 participant]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • 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

Exclusion criteria

  • Diagnosed sleep disorder
  • Severe cognitive impairment
  • Current use of medications that significantly influence sleep (e.g., melatonin, benzodiazepines)

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation
Randomized
Model
Crossover
Masking
Single blind
Primary purpose
Screening

Study locations

Sweden · 1 center
  • Blekinge Institute of Technology — Karlskrona

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07001514 · BTH-6.1.1-0093-2025

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗