How sleep and your body clock affect cravings and emotions during opioid medication treatment
Official title: Investigating mechanisms underpinning outcomes in people on opioid agonist treatment for OUD: Disentangling sleep and circadian rhythm influences on craving and emotion regulation
Funded at Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital · NIH-11175440 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how sleep patterns and circadian rhythms relate to cravings and emotion control in people taking medications for opioid use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Riverside, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,023,443 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA059469-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11175440 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults currently receiving opioid agonist medications (such as methadone or buprenorphine), especially those with sleep problems or difficulty controlling cravings or emotions, are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People not on opioid agonist treatment or whose relapse risk is unrelated to sleep or circadian issues are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
If you are taking methadone or buprenorphine, researchers will measure your sleep patterns, body-clock timing, cravings, and emotion control over time. They will use wearable sleep trackers and lab-based sleep measurements alongside cognitive tests and questionnaires to map sleep architecture and circadian rhythms. The team will compare people on different opioid agonist medications to see whether sleep problems come from shifts in the circadian clock or from changes in sleep structure. Results will help point to specific add-on treatments—such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia—that match your particular sleep disruption.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to personalized sleep-focused treatments that reduce cravings and improve recovery for people on opioid medications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies link sleep problems to worse addiction outcomes, but using detailed circadian and sleep-architecture measures to guide targeted treatments is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
Riverside, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Carskadon, Mary a — Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
- Study coordinator: Carskadon, Mary a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how sleep and body rhythms affect cravings and emotion control for people on opioid treatment
This project looks at how sleep patterns and body clocks influence cravings and emotion regulation in people taking medication for opioid use disorder.
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Understanding how sleep affects cravings and emotions in people treated for opioid use disorder.
This study is looking at how your sleep quality and body clock affect cravings and emotions while you're being treated for opioid use disorder, with the hope of finding ways to improve your recovery by focusing on better sleep.
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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.