How sleep during pregnancy may affect a child's heart and metabolic health

Prenatal sleep and pathways to offspring cardiometabolic risk

NIH-funded research University of Denver (Colorado Seminary) · NIH-11260273

Looks at whether sleep patterns during pregnancy change a child's risk for heart and metabolic problems.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Denver (Colorado Seminary) NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Denver, United States)
Project IDNIH-11260273 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be followed through pregnancy with sleep measured using a wearable monitor and other health checks. Researchers will collect blood and other biological measures to study stress and inflammation, and then follow your baby to track growth, body fat, and early cardiometabolic markers. The team will combine sleep data with these biological and growth measures to understand pathways linking prenatal sleep to child heart and metabolic health. If you are pregnant and willing to wear a sleep monitor and bring your baby for follow-up visits, you could take part.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Pregnant people early in pregnancy who can wear a sleep monitor and attend follow-up visits for themselves and their infants are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who are not pregnant, whose children are no longer infants, or who cannot commit to wearing monitors or attending follow-up visits are unlikely to benefit directly.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could identify sleep-related pregnancy factors that lead to new guidance or interventions to lower children's future heart and metabolic disease risk.

How similar studies have performed: Prior studies using self-reported sleep have linked prenatal sleep to child cardiometabolic risk, but using objective, longitudinal sleep measures and detailed biological pathways is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Denver, 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.