The freshman sleep and health (FRoSH) study: Examining sleep and weight gain in incoming college freshmen.

OBJECTIVE: Examine how changes in sleep duration, objectively measured by activity trackers, impact weight gain in incoming college freshman. Participants: Incoming college freshmen, age ≥ 18. Methods: We measured weight and daily sleep duration before college entry and through the 1st college quarter. Additionally, we examined changes in sleep variability, activity levels and smartphone screen time use as possible predictors of weight gain. Results: 75 participants completed the study. Total sleep duration decreased from 437.9 ± SD 57.3 minutes at baseline to 416.5 ± SD 68.6 minutes by the end of the first quarter (p = 6.6 × 10-3). (BMI) did not change significantly in this cohort. Higher sleep variability at baseline and an increase in sleep variability were associated with increases in BMI. Smartphone screen use was note to be high (235.2 ± SD 110.3 minutes/day) at the end of the first quarter. Conclusions: College weight gain may be affected by factors other than sleep duration, including sleep variability.Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2032720.

Melatonin and Sleep in Preventing Hospitalized Delirium: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: Studies suggest that melatonin may prevent delirium, a condition of acute brain dysfunction occurring in 20%-30% of hospitalized older adults that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We examined the effect of melatonin on delirium prevention in hospitalized older adults while measuring sleep parameters as a possible underlying mechanism. METHODS: This was a randomized clinical trial measuring the impact of 3 mg of melatonin nightly on incident delirium and both objective and subjective sleep in inpatients age ≥65 years, admitted to internal medicine wards (non-intensive care units). Delirium incidence was measured by bedside nurses using the confusion assessment method. Objective sleep measurements (nighttime sleep duration, total sleep time per 24 hours, and sleep fragmentation as determined by average sleep bout length) were obtained via actigraphy. Subjective sleep quality was measured using the Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. RESULTS: Delirium occurred in 22.2% (8/36) of subjects who received melatonin vs in 9.1% (3/33) who received placebo (P = .19). Melatonin did not significantly change objective or subjective sleep measurements. Nighttime sleep duration and total sleep time did not differ between subjects who became delirious vs those who did not, but delirious subjects had more sleep fragmentation (sleep bout length 7.0 ± 3.0 vs 9.5 ± 5.3 min; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin given as a nightly dose of 3 mg did not prevent delirium in non-intensive care unit hospitalized patients or improve subjective or objective sleep.