Better sleep for students starting college
Official title: Improving Sleep Quality During the Transition to College
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11294204 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries a brief, six-week mindfulness program to help college students sleep better during their move to campus.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | May 20, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $641,116 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD105904-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11294204 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are college students age 21 and older who are having trouble sleeping as they transition to campus life.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fuligni, Andrew J — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Fuligni, Andrew J
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.