The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial
Abstract Inadequate sleep is common and contributes to poor health outcomes. Physical activity has a positive impact on sleep outcomes, however the prevalence of physical inactivity is increasing, coupled with the rise of sedentary behaviour at work. Interventions that promote physical activity and...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04955-9 |
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| author | Charlotte C. Gupta Imesha Vitanege Sally A. Ferguson Corneel Vandelanotte Mitch J. Duncan Dayna F. Easton Georgia Tuckwell Courtney Ah Shay Philip Tucker Michele Lastella Maria Zerella Grace E. Vincent |
| author_facet | Charlotte C. Gupta Imesha Vitanege Sally A. Ferguson Corneel Vandelanotte Mitch J. Duncan Dayna F. Easton Georgia Tuckwell Courtney Ah Shay Philip Tucker Michele Lastella Maria Zerella Grace E. Vincent |
| author_sort | Charlotte C. Gupta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Inadequate sleep is common and contributes to poor health outcomes. Physical activity has a positive impact on sleep outcomes, however the prevalence of physical inactivity is increasing, coupled with the rise of sedentary behaviour at work. Interventions that promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour are essential, as they can improve sleep. The current study investigated the effects of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during the day or night, compared to not breaking up sitting, on sleep architecture during a 9 h or 5 h sleep opportunity. Participants (n = 125, 51% male, 23.4 ± 4.8 years of age) completed an in-laboratory sleep study, with five simulated shifts during the day or night. Sleep opportunities were either 9 h or 5 h following each shift. Participants were allocated to one of six conditions: Sit9D or Break9D (sedentary or breaking up sitting day and 9 h sleep opportunity), Sit5D or Break5D (sedentary or breaking up sitting day and 5 h sleep opportunity), or Sit9N or Break9N (sedentary or breaking up sitting night and 9 h sleep opportunity). Sleep was monitored using polysomnography. In the analysis of day shifts, mixed model ANOVAs demonstrated a significant physical activity *sleep opportunity interaction for total sleep time (p < 0.001), sleep onset latency (p < 0.001), time spent in N2 (p < 0.001) and N3 (p = 0.03). Post-hoc analyses revealed that participants in the 9 h sleep opportunity conditions had longer total sleep time, shorter sleep onset latency, and more slow-wave sleep (N3) during sleep opportunities 1–4 but not sleep opportunity 5. There were no significant differences in sleep architecture between physical activity condition for the nightshift conditions. Better sleep quality was seen in the 9 h condition compared to the 5 h condition, and breaking up sitting did not affect sleep. Given the benefits of breaking up sitting on health, our findings suggest a breaking up sitting intervention can be promoted without detrimental impacts on sleep. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b243aa9867a84da5b25cde00048eccf4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-b243aa9867a84da5b25cde00048eccf42025-08-20T03:03:42ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-04955-9The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trialCharlotte C. Gupta0Imesha Vitanege1Sally A. Ferguson2Corneel Vandelanotte3Mitch J. Duncan4Dayna F. Easton5Georgia Tuckwell6Courtney Ah Shay7Philip Tucker8Michele Lastella9Maria Zerella10Grace E. Vincent11Appleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversitySchool of Medicine & Public Health, The University of NewcastleAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityCentre for Automotive Safety Research, University of AdelaideAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversitySchool of Psychology, Swansea UniversityAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityAppleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityAbstract Inadequate sleep is common and contributes to poor health outcomes. Physical activity has a positive impact on sleep outcomes, however the prevalence of physical inactivity is increasing, coupled with the rise of sedentary behaviour at work. Interventions that promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour are essential, as they can improve sleep. The current study investigated the effects of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during the day or night, compared to not breaking up sitting, on sleep architecture during a 9 h or 5 h sleep opportunity. Participants (n = 125, 51% male, 23.4 ± 4.8 years of age) completed an in-laboratory sleep study, with five simulated shifts during the day or night. Sleep opportunities were either 9 h or 5 h following each shift. Participants were allocated to one of six conditions: Sit9D or Break9D (sedentary or breaking up sitting day and 9 h sleep opportunity), Sit5D or Break5D (sedentary or breaking up sitting day and 5 h sleep opportunity), or Sit9N or Break9N (sedentary or breaking up sitting night and 9 h sleep opportunity). Sleep was monitored using polysomnography. In the analysis of day shifts, mixed model ANOVAs demonstrated a significant physical activity *sleep opportunity interaction for total sleep time (p < 0.001), sleep onset latency (p < 0.001), time spent in N2 (p < 0.001) and N3 (p = 0.03). Post-hoc analyses revealed that participants in the 9 h sleep opportunity conditions had longer total sleep time, shorter sleep onset latency, and more slow-wave sleep (N3) during sleep opportunities 1–4 but not sleep opportunity 5. There were no significant differences in sleep architecture between physical activity condition for the nightshift conditions. Better sleep quality was seen in the 9 h condition compared to the 5 h condition, and breaking up sitting did not affect sleep. Given the benefits of breaking up sitting on health, our findings suggest a breaking up sitting intervention can be promoted without detrimental impacts on sleep.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04955-9Shift workSedentary behaviourBreaking up sittingPhysical activity |
| spellingShingle | Charlotte C. Gupta Imesha Vitanege Sally A. Ferguson Corneel Vandelanotte Mitch J. Duncan Dayna F. Easton Georgia Tuckwell Courtney Ah Shay Philip Tucker Michele Lastella Maria Zerella Grace E. Vincent The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial Scientific Reports Shift work Sedentary behaviour Breaking up sitting Physical activity |
| title | The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial |
| title_full | The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial |
| title_short | The impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture: a randomised controlled trial |
| title_sort | impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity during simulated dayshifts and nightshifts on sleep architecture a randomised controlled trial |
| topic | Shift work Sedentary behaviour Breaking up sitting Physical activity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04955-9 |
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