Determinants of breathing instability and sleep problems in people on long-term opioids
Official title: Determinants of ventilatory instability and sleep disordered breathing with chronic use of opioids
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11295296 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A five-year study at UCSD will look at why breathing and sleep become unstable in people who need opioids for long-term pain management.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $792,154 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL179220-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11295296 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults on long-term opioid therapy for pain who are under medical supervision may be eligible to participate.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without sleep-disordered breathing issues or those not on long-term opioid therapy may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project seeks to understand how chronic opioid use affects breathing control and sleep by studying a diverse group of experts in sleep medicine, physiology, biostatistics, and primary care. Researchers will follow patients under medical supervision to uncover mechanisms behind nightly oxygen drops and arousals, with the goal of improving safety and comfort. The study will use advanced data analyses and careful monitoring to connect breathing patterns during sleep with opioid treatment and pain management. Findings could lead to better guidelines for safer opioid use and targeted interventions for sleep-disordered breathing in this population.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could inform safer opioid prescribing and better management of sleep-disordered breathing for patients on long-term opioids.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work links opioid use with sleep-disordered breathing, but this study aims to clarify mechanisms and real-world impacts in a broad patient group.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Orr, Jeremy Elliot — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Orr, Jeremy Elliot
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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.