Nighttime blood pressure spikes from sleep apnea and heart risk

Sleep Apnea-Specific Nocturnal Blood Pressure Surge to Determine Cardiovascular Risks and Therapeutic Benefits in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

NIH-funded research University of Washington · NIH-11176281

This project will see if sudden nighttime blood pressure spikes tied to sleep apnea help predict heart problems and who benefits most from CPAP treatment.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Washington NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Seattle, United States)
Project IDNIH-11176281 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, you will have your sleep monitored with a standard overnight sleep study while wearing a finger-cuff device that records beat-to-beat blood pressure. The researchers will link blood pressure surges that happen right after apnea events to past and future heart-related outcomes. They will also compare how people with larger blood pressure surges respond to CPAP therapy. The goal is to use these measurements to better target treatment for people with obstructive sleep apnea.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with diagnosed or suspected obstructive sleep apnea who can undergo in-lab polysomnography and are potential CPAP users.

Not a fit: People without obstructive sleep apnea, those not able to attend an in-lab sleep study, or those not offered CPAP are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify people with sleep apnea who are at higher heart risk and who are most likely to benefit from CPAP.

How similar studies have performed: Prior work links sleep apnea to nocturnal hypertension and small studies have validated beat-to-beat finger-cuff monitoring, but using these spikes to predict long-term heart outcomes and CPAP response is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Seattle, 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.