Move and Snooze: add sleep help to an exercise plan to ease knee pain in older adults
Official title: Move and Snooze: Adding insomnia treatment to an exercise program to improve pain outcomes in older adults with knee osteoarthritis
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11384493 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A program combines a personalized exercise plan with a digital sleep-improvement course to reduce knee pain for adults aged 65 and up who have osteoarthritis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $728,103 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG081299-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11384493 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 65 and older with knee osteoarthritis who have sleep disturbances and can participate in an exercise program.
✕Less likely to help
Those with knee OA who cannot participate in physical activity or have contraindications to sleep interventions may not benefit.
What this research studies
If you’re an older adult with knee osteoarthritis, this study tests whether pairing a tailored exercise routine with an online sleep program can make exercise help more effective at reducing pain. The approach uses a blended model: a customized exercise plan plus CBT-I delivered digitally to improve sleep, potentially boosting pain relief. Researchers at the University of Michigan will recruit participants, monitor progress, and assess how sleep quality relates to pain outcomes over time. The goal is to see if better sleep makes exercise work better for knee OA pain in real-world settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could make knee pain more manageable by combining exercise with better sleep habits.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests sleep can influence how well exercise reduces OA pain, with this study expanding to a combined, digitally-delivered approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whibley, Daniel — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Whibley, Daniel
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Exercise plus sleep therapy for knee osteoarthritis pain in older adults
This project adds a digital insomnia program to a personalized exercise plan to help older adults with knee osteoarthritis have less pain and better sleep.
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Improving pain management in older adults with knee osteoarthritis through exercise and insomnia treatment.
This study is looking at whether a mix of exercise and a special sleep program can help older adults with knee osteoarthritis feel less pain and sleep better.
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Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
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Nanoparticles delivering an sPLA2 blocker for knee osteoarthritis
This project uses tiny, drug-filled nanoparticles to deliver an sPLA2-blocking medicine into the knee to reduce inflammation and slow knee osteoarthritis in people with painful knee OA.
-
Remote tai chi for knee OA in everyday care
A nationwide study will test remotely delivered tai chi for people with knee osteoarthritis to see if it helps pain and function when added to usual care.
-
Sensory nerves and joint cells talk to each other in knee arthritis
This grant tests how nerve signals and joint cells interact in knee osteoarthritis, with a focus on CGRP pathways and how they affect pain and joint damage.
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.