Self-Directed Home-Based Dim-Light Melatonin Onset Collection: The Circadia Pilot Study

To test the feasibility of a novel at-home salivary Dim Light Melatonin Onset (DLMO) assessment protocol to measure the endogenous circadian phase of 10 individuals ( 1 Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder patient (ASWPD), 4 Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder patients (DSWPD), and 5 controls).

The study involved 10 participants (sex at birth: females = 9; male= 1), who ranged between 27 to 63 years old, with an average age of 38 years old. Our study population consisted of 7 individuals who identified as white and 3 who identified as Asian. Our participants were diverse in gender identity (woman = 7, male = 1, transgender = 1, nonbinary = 1, none = 1).The study tracked the sleep and activity patterns of 10 individuals over a 5-6 week period using self-reported online sleep diaries and objective actigraphy data. Participants completed two self-directed DLMO assessments, approximately one week apart, adhering to objective compliance measures. Participants completed the study entirely remotely: they completed all sleep diaries and other evaluations online and were mailed a kit with all materials needed to perform the actigraphy and at-home sample collections.

Salivary DLMO times were calculated for 8/10 participants using the Hockeystick method. DLMO times were on average 3 hours and 18 minutes earlier than self-reported sleep onset times (DSPD: 12:04 AM, controls: 9:55 PM.) Among the 6 participants for whom we calculated two separate DLMO times, DLMOs 1 and 2 were 96% correlated (p<0.0005.).

Our results indicate that self-directed, at-home DLMO assessments are feasible and accurate. The current protocol may serve as a framework to reliably assess circadian phase in both clinical and general populations.