Project REST: Regulation of Eating and Sleep Topography

Running, not enrolling · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Obesity, Childhood, Binge Eating, Sleep, Self-regulation

In brief

Overweight/obesity and inadequate sleep are prevalent, and frequently co-occurring, health risks among children, both of which are associated with serious medical and psychosocial health complications including risk for cardiovascular disease. Although the investigator's data suggest that disrupted or shortened sleep may be causally associated with increased energy intake and weight gain in children, and with self-regulation and neural response to food cues in adults, understanding of mechanisms involved in the sleep/eating association is incomplete, thereby impeding development of targeted, optimally timed intervention strategies. The proposed mechanistic clinical trial aims to assess the effects of an experimental sleep manipulation on eating-related self-regulation and its neural substrates, and on real-world eating behavior, among children with overweight/obesity, which will help guide research efforts towards the refinement of prevention and intervention strategies targeting sleep and its eating-related correlates to curb weight gain throughout development.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04057716

Run by

University of Pittsburgh

People needed

120

Starts

2019-08-15

Expected to finish

2026-07-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-07

Who can join

Age: 8 and older, up to 12. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• at risk for obesity (BMI>=85th percentile for age and sex OR BMI>=50th percentile for age and sex with at least one obese parent)
• average time in bed between 9.5-10.5 hours/night

You may not qualify if…

• previous eating disorder diagnosis and/or sleep or psychiatric conditions
• conditions affecting executive functioning (e.g., recent concussion, traumatic brain injury)
• taking medication known to affect sleep/appetite (e.g., antihistamines, stimulants)
• receiving concurrent treatment for sleep or overweight/obesity

Where it is running

• University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center — Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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