How short sleep and a shifted body clock affect weight and blood sugar
Official title: Uncovering sleep and circadian mechanisms contributing to adverse metabolic health
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11158785 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether chronic short sleep and disruptions to your internal clock change eating habits and blood sugar in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $585,741 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL169317-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11158785 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults who can follow a prescribed 14-day sleep schedule, attend in-person visits at OHSU in Portland, and tolerate blood draws and glucose testing.
✕Less likely to help
People with severe sleep disorders, uncontrolled medical conditions, pregnancy, or those unable to comply with strict sleep or clinic visit requirements are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
Over a 14-day, tightly controlled protocol, adults will be randomly assigned to reduced sleep, shifted sleep timing, or both so researchers can separate the effects of sleep loss from circadian disruption. The team will monitor what and when you eat, measure food choices, and perform glucose tolerance testing to track blood sugar responses. Participants will follow prescribed sleep schedules and attend in-person visits where meals, activity, and metabolic testing are controlled. The study is designed to pinpoint how sleep patterns and body-clock timing drive appetite, food intake, and glucose control.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to sleep- or timing-based strategies to help prevent or better manage obesity and type 2 diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked short sleep to weight gain and worse glucose control, but combining controlled sleep restriction with circadian timing manipulations in a randomized 14-day protocol is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mchill, Andrew William — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Mchill, Andrew William
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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.