Preliminary evidence of the relationship between subjective sleep preferences and objective circadian data in cognitively healthy older adults with notable sex differences in these relationships is provided.
Abstract
This study aimed to compare subjective and objective circadian measures with a focus on sex differences and cognition in healthy older adults. A total of 126 participants (aged 65–90 years) completed the Horne & Ostberg Morning-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Circadian Type Inventory (CTI) to assess their morning-evening preference and four circadian traits: rigidity vs flexibility (CTI-FR) and languidity vs vigor (CTI-LV). These self-report measures were compared to actigraphy data from a sub-cohort of 63 individuals who wore wrist actigraphs for 24 hours a day over a 7-day period. Results showed that cognitively healthy older adults tend towards rigidity and vigor (on the CTI) and morningness (on the MEQ). Overall, the languid vs vigorous types and flexible vs rigid types displayed differences in MEQ scores. Sex moderated the association between the CTI-LV and MEQ with a steeper association in males than females (p = 0.012). Actigraphy data showed that males had less stable (interdaily stability, IS, p = 0.03) and more fragmented (interdaily variability, IV, p = 0.001) circadian rhythms than older females. Subjective MEQ scores were strongly predictive of acrophase time (p = 0.009) in males but not females. Using information processing speed (IPS) as a marker of cognitive function, we found that greater circadian rhythm fragmentation (IV) was linked to slower verbal IPS (p = 0.004) in males. Morning preference on the MEQ predicted faster spatial IPS in the overall sample (p < 0.001). These findings provide preliminary evidence of the relationship between subjective sleep preferences and objective circadian data in cognitively healthy older adults with notable sex differences in these relationships.
Chronotype reflects individual circadian preference for timing of sleep, wakefulness, and peak performance and has been linked to variability in prefrontal cognitive function across the day. Whether chronotype independently relates to dual-task gait cost (DTC) and whether this relationship differs by cognitive task domain is unclear. Sixty-nine healthy young adults (37 female; mean age 21.3 years) completed the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Spatiotemporal gait parameters were recorded with three-dimensional motion capture during single-task walking and three dual-task conditions: backward word spelling (5LWB; phonological), serial subtraction by seven (SS7; arithmetic), and reverse month recitation (RMR; sequential). DTC was calculated for eight gait parameters. Condition differences were assessed with nonparametric tests and post-hoc comparisons. Multiple linear regression, adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and baseline gait velocity, tested the independent association between MEQ score and mean velocity DTC; exploratory Spearman correlations examined other parameters. SS7 produced the largest mean velocity DTC (−12.76%), significantly greater than 5LWB (−7.95%; p = 0.002) and RMR (−9.57%; p = 0.021). MEQ score independently predicted mean velocity DTC in 5LWB (β = −0.51, p < 0.001, R² = 0.269) and RMR (β = −0.55, p = 0.004, R² = 0.222), indicating greater morningness associated with better gait-speed preservation under cognitive load; the SS7 association was not significant (β = −0.33, p = 0.071). Exploratory correlations showed MEQ–DTC associations across 7/8 parameters in 5LWB, 4/8 in RMR, and 3/8 in SS7. Chronotype is independently associated with dual-task gait cost in a task-domain-specific manner, with stronger effects for phonological and sequential tasks than for arithmetic processing. The SS7 condition yielded the largest interference but weakest chronotype modulation, suggesting arithmetic dual-task disruption may be less sensitive to circadian arousal. Fixed testing time and cross-sectional design warrant within-subject, multi-timepoint studies to confirm chronotype effects separate from time-of-day confounds.
Meeyoung Kim, Jood Dalbah, A. Al-Sharman· PLoS ONE· 0 citations
It is demonstrated that endurance exercise performance is enhanced in the evening compared with the morning and suggested that behavioural markers of circadian phenotype are associated with the magnitude of diurnal variation in performance.
A. Singh, Sanjida Ahmed, S. Hesketh· European Journal of Applied...· 0 citations
Chronotype describes differences in the timing of daily rhythms, regulated by the circadian system. These patterns are classified as morning or evening chronotypes. Studies show increased impulsivity, poorer health behaviors, and greater cardiometabolic risk among evening chronotypes. However, few studies evaluate these effects relative to circadian biomarkers. Additionally, time of day may impact how chronotype affects behaviors. Participants completed an eating in the absence of hunger task during morning and evening sessions. Participants were served oatmeal, then given access to snack foods. Calories consumed from each snack type was the primary outcome. Participants fasted for ≥8 h before a 9 AM morning task. For the evening task, participants fasted for 2 h and completed an 8 PM task. Dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) was measured the day following the morning task. Covariate-adjusted models evaluated differences in caloric intake across food types and sessions, and tested associations between caloric intake and DLMO. 113 participants completed the protocol (57 female; age: M = 35.6, SD = 9.87). Significant time-of-day effects were observed, with lower intake of bland (B = -5.67, p < 0.001) and salty foods (B = -15.53, p = 0.015) in the evening. Order effects showed greater intake during the second administration for total calories and all categories (ps < 0.01). Later DLMO was linked to greater appetite ratings. These finding suggest that those with later circadian timing may have greater hedonic interest in food. Future research should explore interactions between chronotype, circadian timing, and environmental factors shaping eating behaviors.
Carson Hernandez, Steven E. Carlson, Bradley Appelhans et al.· Eating Behaviors· 0 citations
In characterizing sleep and circadian health, the day-to-day regularity of sleep-wake timing strongly predicts health outcomes, outperforming short sleep duration in prospective associations with mortality and new-onset disease. It is unknown whether biological (e.g., sleep and circadian physiology) and sociocultural (e.g., exposures that affect sleep-wake timing) sex differences lead to differences in day-to-day sleep-wake regularity or modify its prospective associations with health outcomes. Here, we present findings from a UK Biobank study of 506,582 person-days of accelerometer recordings across 73,647 middle-aged adults preceding 549,009 person-years of follow-up. We compared SRI scores between males and females and evaluated whether all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality differed across SRI groups by sex. Custom contrasts were used to compare estimated marginal means across specific SRI-sex combinations. Females were overrepresented among very high (SRI [≥]90) and underrepresented among very low (SRI <60) groups. After adjustment for demographic, health, and behavioral covariates, males still had higher odds than females of exhibiting SRI <60. Low SRI and male sex were synergistically associated with higher mortality rate. Demographic, health, and behavioral covariate-adjusted models showed stronger and more dose-dependent associations between low SRI and mortality among males than females. Although the omnibus SRI x sex interaction terms were not statistically significant, the interaction contrast for SRI <60 versus [≥]90 differed by sex, suggesting a possible sex difference in mortality rates at very low SRI. Together, our findings suggest that males may be more vulnerable than females to the mortality risk associated with highly irregular sleep-wake schedules.
M. Czeisler, J. Leota, F. Le et al.· medRxiv· 0 citations
Depressive symptoms commonly increase during young adulthood and have been associated with disruptions in rest-activity rhythms (RAR), but prospective within-person associations between daily RAR characteristics and depressive symptoms remain unclear. This study examined reciprocal within-person associations between daily RAR parameters and depression among young adults. A total of 319 participants (mean age = 19.16 years; 78.1% female) contributed 3155 analytic person-days during a 14-day wrist-actigraphy and ecological momentary assessment protocol. RAR parameters included acrophase, circadian quotient, intradaily variability, interdaily stability, and relative amplitude. Daily depression mean and daily depression instability were derived from repeated assessments. Bayesian dynamic structural equation models adjusting for prior-day perceived stress and 24-h light exposure, as well as sex, age, and season were used to estimate the cross-lagged associations between depression and RAR. Late acrophase on day t - 1 predicted high depression mean on day t (posterior median = 0.051, 95% credible interval [CrI] [0.002, 0.100]). Great depression instability on day t - 1 predicted low interdaily stability on day t (posterior median = -0.039, 95% CrI [-0.069, -0.008]). No other cross-lagged associations were supported. Exploratory analysis did not provide credible evidence of sex differences. These findings advance our understanding of daily interplay between depression and behavioral rhythmicity and shed light on chrono-interventions for mood problems among young adults.
Wen-Jie Zhang, Jia Zhao, Chun-Hong Guo et al.· Journal of Affective Disorde...· 0 citations
Passive physical activity is increasingly used as a digital-phenotyping proxy for mood, assuming a stable relationship across people and time. We tested this assumption using daily mood and activity data from 1,072 individuals (121 women, 951 men; 13,909 person-days) in the Juli app. The within-person activity-mood association was stronger in women than men (slope difference -0.194, p = 0.019). Within women, it varied across the menstrual cycle (p = 0.022): absent in the early luteal phase, significant in all other phases, and largest in the late luteal phase (+0.46). A male pseudo-cycle control showed no such modulation (p = 0.974), confirming the effect is cycle-specific rather than a general temporal pattern. Accounting for cycle phase improved out-of-sample mood prediction in women in 75% of cross-validation splits. Digital phenotyping should account for sex and menstrual cycle phase to avoid biased predictions and enable personalized recommendations for women.
K. Delray, J. K. Zeitler, J. Hayes et al.· medRxiv· 0 citations
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