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Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects over 3 million Americans and has a relapsing and remitting course with up to 30% of patients experiencing exacerbations each year despite the availability of immune targeted therapies. An urgent need exists to develop adjunctive treatment approaches to better manage IBD symptoms and disease activity. Circadian disruption is associated with increased disease activity and may be an important modifiable treatment target for IBD. Morning light treatment, which advances and stabilizes circadian timing, may have the potential to improve IBD symptoms and disease activity, but no studies have explored these potential therapeutic benefits in IBD. Therefore, in this study, we aim to test the effectiveness of morning light treatment for patients with IBD. Methods We will recruit sixty-eight individuals with biopsy-proven IBD and clinical symptoms and randomize them to 4-weeks of morning light treatment or 4-weeks of treatment as usual (TAU), with equivalent study contact. Patient-reported outcomes (IBD-related quality of life, mood, sleep), clinician-rated disease severity, and a biomarker of gastrointestinal inflammation (fecal calprotectin) will be assessed before and after treatment. Our primary objective will be to test the effect of morning light treatment versus TAU on IBD-related quality of life and our secondary objectives will be to test the effects on clinician-rated disease activity, depression, and sleep quality. We will also explore the effect of morning light treatment versus TAU on a biomarker of gastrointestinal inflammation (fecal calprotectin), and the potential moderating effects of steroid use, restless leg syndrome, and biological sex. Discussion Morning light treatment may be an acceptable, feasible, and effective adjunctive treatment for individuals with active IBD suffering from impaired health-related quality of life. Trial registration The study protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT06094608 on October 23, 2023, before recruitment began on February 1, 2024.

Abstract Background Both short sleep duration and circadian rhythm misalignment are risk factors for metabolic dysfunction, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The goal of this study is to examine how sleep duration and circadian alignment predict changes in cardiometabolic risk factors over a 12-month period, and test cognitive function and hedonic eating tendencies as potential mechanisms. Methods We will recruit a sample of 120 working aged adults with BMI 25–35 kg/m2 (overweight to class I obesity). The protocol includes 5 visits over a 12-month period. Study visits include wrist actigraphy to measure sleep behaviors, 24-h diet recalls, dim light melatonin collection, a computerized neurobehavioral assessment, eating in the absence of hunger task, and frequently sampled IV glucose tolerance test. Discussion The results of the TIME study will advance the understanding of how both short sleep duration and circadian misalignment contribute to behavioral aspects of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.Gov, NCT04759755 , registered retrospectively February 13, 2021.

Abstract ᅟ The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ) are sometimes used to estimate circadian timing. However, it remains unclear if they can reflect a change in circadian timing after a light treatment. In this study, 31 participants (25–68 years) completed both questionnaires before and after a 13–28 day morning light treatment. The dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), a physiological marker of circadian timing, was also assessed in a subsample of 16 participants. The DLMO phase advanced on average by 47 min (p