Better sleep for students starting college

Improving Sleep Quality During the Transition to College

NIH-funded research University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11294204

This project tries a brief, six-week mindfulness program to help college students sleep better during their move to campus.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of California Los Angeles NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Los Angeles, United States)
Project IDNIH-11294204 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You may be invited to join a six-week Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs) program designed for college students. The research team will compare sleep quality, mood (including anxiety and depression), motivation, and biological signs of inflammation between people who take the program and those who do not. Participation may include weekly sessions, sleep questionnaires, and possibly brief biological samples for inflammation testing. The goal is to identify an easy-to-complete program that can be offered widely across campuses.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are college students age 21 and older who are having trouble sleeping as they transition to campus life.

Not a fit: Students with severe clinical insomnia who need specialized treatments (like CBT-I or medication), or those younger than the study age range, may not benefit from this brief mindfulness program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help students sleep more consistently, lower anxiety and depressive symptoms, and improve overall well-being during the transition to college.

How similar studies have performed: Mindfulness programs have improved sleep and related outcomes in adults, but only a few randomized trials have tested them in college students and none focused on sleep as the main outcome.

Where this research is happening

Los Angeles, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.