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

NCT07001514 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: BTH-6.1.1-0093-2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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?

Conditions

Sleep

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Sleep architecture REM

  Sleep architecture containing sleep stages REM - Random eye movement stage.

  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

  Sleep architecture containing sleep stages, Deep sleep

  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

  Sleep architecture containing sleep stages, light sleep

  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 to fall asleep- through EEG headband

  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)

  Total amount or duration of sleep

  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)

  Sleep efficiency (SE)- Sleep efficiency is the percentage of time in bed actually spent sleeping. It is calculated by dividing total sleep time by total time spent in bed and multiplying by 100. Higher sleep efficiency suggests less wakefulness during the night and better overall sleep quality.

  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).

  Wake up after sleep onset (WASO).WASO measures the cumulative amount of time a participant spends awake after initially falling asleep, until final morning awakening. Elevated WASO values may indicate fragmented or disrupted sleep, which can negatively affect sleep quality and daytime functioning.

  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 (3)

• Subjective sleep quality

  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

  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

  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

Other Outcomes (1)

• Baseline survey

  Baseline (Day 0, at enrollment; one-time survey)

Study Arms (3)

Calming Digital Content

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will watch calming digital content - specifically, nature documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough - for 30 to 60 minutes within one hour before bedtime. Sleep outcomes will be assessed using EEG recordings and subjective sleep quality logs.

Behavioral: Calming digital content

Exciting Digital Content

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will engage with exciting digital content by playing the word-based game Ruzzle for 30 to 60 minutes within one hour before bedtime. Sleep outcomes will be evaluated using EEG measurements and subjective sleep assessments.

Behavioral: Exciting Digital Content

Non-Digital Pre-Sleep Activity

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will engage in a non-digital activity by reading a physical, non-fiction book of their choice for 30 to 60 minutes within one hour before bedtime. No digital screens will be used. Sleep outcomes will be monitored via EEG data and self-reported sleep quality measures.

Behavioral: Non-digital book reading

Interventions

Calming digital content BEHAVIORAL

Participants watch a curated selection of soothing documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough for 30-60 minutes each evening during one hour before bedtime.

Also known as: digital, nature documentary

Calming Digital Content

Exciting Digital Content BEHAVIORAL

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.

Also known as: Digital, Ruzzle, Game

Exciting Digital Content

Non-digital book reading BEHAVIORAL

Participants read a non-fiction book of their choice for the same duration, avoiding all digital screens during one hour before bedtime before bedtime.

Also known as: book reading

Non-Digital Pre-Sleep Activity

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Blekinge Institute of Technology: lead

Study Sites (1)

Blekinge Institute of Technology

Karlskrona, Blekinge County, SE-371 79, Sweden

Location

Study Officials

• Peter Anderberg, PhD

  Blekinge Institute of Technology

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Peter Anderberg, PhD

CONTACT

+46734223736; peter.anderberg@bth.se

Sarah Nauman Ghazi, MD| M.Sc. | Fil. Licentiate

CONTACT

+46706604935; sarah.n.ghazi@bth.se

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SCREENING
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 12, 2025
• First Posted: June 3, 2025
• Study Start: August 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SE (1)