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Body clock study reveals when we lose track of time

NCT ID NCT07294781

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at how the body's internal clock changes our perception of time when we stay awake for 36 hours. Thirty healthy adults will remain awake in a controlled lab, with constant light, posture, and food. Every two hours, they complete tests on time estimation, reaction speed, and mood, while saliva samples track melatonin levels. The goal is to identify when during the day-night cycle people are most prone to time distortions and reduced alertness, which could help improve shift-work scheduling.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this study could help design better shift schedules to reduce errors and accidents caused by distorted time perception and sleepiness.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage observational study in healthy volunteers, so findings may not apply to real-world settings or people with sleep disorders.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

23 to 45 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 23 to 45 years. * Able and willing to provide written informed consent. * Fluent in Danish and able to understand study procedures and instructions. * Generally healthy, as assessed by medical history, screening questionnaires, and basic clinical measures (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate). * Self-reported regular sleep-wake schedule for at least 4 weeks prior to the laboratory visit (typically 6.5-9 hours of sleep per night, with usual sleep period between approximately 22:00-01:00 and 06:00-09:00). * Body mass index (BMI) within a non-extreme range (for example, approximately 18.5-30 kg/m²), if required by the study physician. * No regular night work or rotating shift work during the 3 months before participation. * No travel across more than 2 time zones in the 2 months before the constant-routine session. * Willing to abstain from caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and recreational drugs for the specified washout periods before and during the 36-hour constant-routine session. * For participants who can become pregnant: negative pregnancy test at screening/arrival and agreement to use reliable contraception for the duration of participation. Exclusion Criteria: * Any known or suspected major sleep disorder (e.g., insomnia disorder, obstructive sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy), based on self-report or prior diagnosis. * Current or past major psychiatric or neurological disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, epilepsy), unless considered mild and stable and explicitly approved by the study physician. * Chronic medical conditions that could be worsened by prolonged wakefulness or that might confound outcome measures, such as significant cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes mellitus, severe respiratory disease, or other serious systemic illness. * Regular use of medications or supplements that may affect sleep, circadian rhythms, melatonin secretion, alertness, or mood (e.g., hypnotics, sedative-hypnotics, melatonin, stimulants, certain antidepressants or beta-blockers), unless a safe washout is possible and approved by the study physician. * High habitual caffeine intake (for example, \>400 mg/day) or nicotine dependence if the participant is unable or unwilling to abstain for the required washout periods. * Current harmful alcohol use or substance use disorder, or frequent use of recreational drugs. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding. * Previous severe adverse reaction to sleep deprivation, extended wakefulness, or similar laboratory protocols. * Claustrophobia or inability to tolerate prolonged stays in a controlled laboratory environment. * Any condition or circumstance that, in the judgement of the investigators, would make participation unsafe, interfere with the 36-hour wakefulness protocol, or compromise data quality (e.g., inability to remain awake despite support, strong fear of needles or saliva sampling, or inability to comply with study restrictions).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Aarhus University, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences

    RECRUITING

    Aarhus, 8000, Denmark

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