Body clock battle: light or meals?
NCT ID NCT05276739
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study aims to find out whether bright light or meal timing is the main signal that resets the body's internal clock. Researchers will expose 48 healthy adults aged 18-30 to different combinations of light and meal schedules in a controlled setting. They will measure changes in melatonin and other metabolic markers to see which cue has the strongest effect.
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 could clarify how to better use light or meal timing to adjust circadian rhythms, potentially aiding shift workers or jet lag recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study in healthy young adults, so results may not apply to older or less healthy populations. It is observational in nature and does not test a treatment.
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
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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
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47 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2022
- Finished
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Jul 2026
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Aged between 18-30 years * Healthy (no medical, psychiatric or sleep disorders; * Non-smoking for at least 6 months; * Body Mass Index of \>18 or \<30 kg/m2; * Able to maintain 8-hour consistent sleep schedule during the study * Able to refrain from caffeine, alcohol, medication and supplements during the study Exclusion Criteria: * History of alcohol or substance abuse; * Positive result on drugs of abuse urine toxicology; * Current or past history of sleep disorders, including but not limited to obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, or any significant sleep complaint * Psychiatric disorder, or first degree relative with a psychiatric disorder * Recent acute or chronic medical disorder * Use of drugs or medication (birth control OK) likely to affect sleep, alertness or light sensitivity, as determined by the investigators * Visual disorder, including but not limited to color blindness, or family history of glaucoma * Pregnancy or lactation * Shift work (past 3 years) * Transmeridian travel (2 or more time zones) in the past 3 months * Any other reason as determine by the Principal Investigator
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.