0325 Better Aerobic Fitness is Associated with Distinct Sleep Characteristics in Children and Adolescents - A Pilot Study
Abstract Introduction Aerobic fitness facilitates brain synaptic plasticity, which influences global and local sleep expression. While it is known that sleep patterns/behavior and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep slow wave activity (SWA) tracks brain maturation, little is known about how aerobic fitness and sleep interact during growth and development in children and adolescents. The aim of this pilot study was to characterize relationships among aerobic fitness, measures of global/local sleep expression, and habitual sleep patterns in children and adolescents. We hypothesized that greater aerobic fitness would be associated with better sleep quality, indicated by increased SWA. Methods Twenty healthy youth (11-17 years-old, 11 female) were evaluated during summer vacation (no school schedule constraints). Aerobic fitness (VO2peak) was measured using ramp-type progressive cycle ergometry, habitual sleep (i.e., sleep-time consistency and circadian activity patterns) was assessed with 7-day actigraphy, and ad lib sleep was evaluated during overnight polysomnography (PSG) with high-density electroencephalography (hdEEG; 128 channels). Spectral analysis was implemented to quantify SWA (0.5-4.5Hz). Data were analyzed using linear regression analyses and exploratory independent samples t-tests. Results Negative correlations were observed between VO2peak and sleep measures including sleep-time consistency (partial r=-0.53, p=0.045) and timing/acrophase of the circadian activity rhythm (partial r=-0.64, p=0.01) while controlling for sex and age. Additionally, after accounting for Tanner stage and sex, data demonstrated significant effects in SWA at frontal derivations (p=0.024) between low and high fitness levels at topographically specific and meaningful EEG derivations, e.g. over frontal cortex. Conclusion These results suggest that children and adolescents with greater fitness have less variability in sleep-times (improved sleep consistency), tend to have a more advanced circadian activity phase (i.e., go to sleep earlier), and express greater frontal SWA, supporting the hypothesis that fitness is associated with improved local and global sleep quality. Future research with larger samples is necessary to further evaluate these relationships, and to determine if interventions that improve fitness also improve sleep and related brain plasticity. Support NCATS grant #UL1TR001414 & PERC Systems Biology Fund