The relationship between circadian type and physical activity as predictors of cognitive performance during simulated nightshifts: A randomised controlled trial

Nightshift is associated with impaired cognitive performance on many tasks, yet performance is also moderated by individual differences. We investigated the effect of circadian type (two factors: flexible-rigid, and languid-vigour), and the efficacy of a novel countermeasure, breaking up sitting with light-intensity physical activity, in the context of nightshift performance. Thirty-three healthy adults (age M ± SD: 24.3 ± 4.6 y; 19 females) participated in a sleep laboratory study over five consecutive simulated nightshifts (2200-0600 h). Sleep opportunities occurred at 0800-1700 h. Participants were randomised to a sedentary (SIT; <i>n =</i> 14), or "breaking-up" sitting (BREAK; <i>n =</i> 19) condition. BREAK participants completed 3 min of light-intensity walking every 30 min at 3.2 km/h, while SIT participants remained seated. Every 2 h during nightshift, participants completed the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (mean RRT), Stroop Task, and Digit Symbol Substitution Task. Participants completed the revised Circadian Type Inventory which categorises individuals on a rigid-flexible scale and a languid-vigorous scale (rigid; <i>n =</i> 12, flexible; <i>n =</i> 11; languid; <i>n =</i> 11, vigorous <i>n =</i> 13). Linear mixed models showed a significant 3-way interaction between Nightshifts (1-5), Condition (SIT, BREAK), and flexibility-rigidity for mean RRT (<i>p =</i> 0.03) only. Flexible types in the BREAK condition had better performance than rigid BREAK, rigid SIT, and flexible SIT over five nights, with performance marginally worse on the first night for all participants apart from rigid SIT. Linear mixed models showed a significant 2-way interaction between Nightshifts (1-5), and flexibility-rigidity for percentage accuracy on the Stroop task, and a significant 2-way interaction between Nightshifts (1-5), and languid-vigour for response time on the Stroop task. Accuracy worsened for rigid types, while response time on the Stroop task improved for languid types over five nights. No other significant differences were found. Breaking up sitting with light-intensity physical activity maintained sustained attention for flexible circadian types across all five experimental nightshifts. Both rigidity and languidity moderated trends in performance, though whether these differences have meaningful real-world implications must be explored further. Our results indicate that circadian type classifications should be accounted for in breaking up sitting interventions overnight.