Sleep problems after surgery and teens' prescription opioid use
Sleep deficiency and opioid use/misuse in adolescents following surgery
This project checks whether poor sleep before and after surgery makes teens more likely to use or misuse prescription opioid medicine.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11180441 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're a teen getting surgery, the team will follow your sleep before and after the operation using sleep questionnaires, diaries, and wearable sleep trackers, and they will record any prescribed opioid use. They will also track your pain levels and mood to see whether those factors explain links between poor sleep and higher opioid use. Participants will be followed through the immediate post-surgical period when opioid prescriptions are commonly first given. The aim is to pinpoint which sleep problems most strongly predict opioid use and to identify behaviors that could be changed to lower the risk of misuse.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescents scheduled for surgery who expect to receive or be eligible for prescription opioids and who can share sleep and medication information are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Teens who are not having surgery, are not prescribed opioids, or whose opioid use stems from unrelated chronic conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help doctors spot teens at higher risk of prescription opioid misuse and lead to sleep-focused steps to reduce that risk.
How similar studies have performed: Small prior studies, including the team's pilot work, have suggested links between poor sleep and higher opioid use, but the timing and underlying mechanisms after surgery remain largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Groenewald, Cornelius Botha — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Groenewald, Cornelius Botha
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 below.