Using sleep and body clocks to help recovery after surgery
Official title: Harnessing Sleep and Biological Rhythms to Improve Postoperative Recovery
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11402754 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A sleep-focused approach is being tested to help adults recover better and faster after major surgery, especially knee replacement.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $453,750 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM160254-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11402754 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 and older undergoing major surgery, such as knee replacement.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not experience sleep disturbances or do not participate in perioperative sleep interventions may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to link sleep quality and biological rhythms to how well patients recover after major surgery. Researchers will explore how sleep, pain, and recovery signals interact and whether improving sleep can shorten recovery time and reduce pain. The work considers the gut microbiome as a possible mediator and looks for markers that could guide perioperative care. Overall, the goal is to identify strategies that patients can use before and after surgery to regain function sooner.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could recover more quickly and comfortably after surgery through sleep-based interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests sleep and pain are linked, but translating this into perioperative care is still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gao, Lei — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Gao, Lei
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Postoperative recovery: how pain, delirium, and brain inflammation are linked
A study exploring how immune cells in the body and brain influence recovery after surgery, especially pain and delirium, to help patients recover faster.
-
Understanding Recovery After Surgery: Pain, Confusion, and Brain Inflammation
This project aims to understand why people recover differently after surgery, especially focusing on how pain and confusion happen.
-
Understanding how the body recovers after surgery, focusing on pain and confusion.
This study is exploring how our immune system affects how well people recover after surgery, especially regarding pain and confusion, and it's looking at how things like age and gender play a role, all to help make recovery easier for patients.
-
Total Intravenous Versus Inhalational Anesthesia in Hip Fracture Surgery
This study compares TIVA with sevoflurane anesthesia in people 65 and older undergoing hip fracture surgery to see which method helps them recover better after surgery.
-
Enhanced Recovery Adherence and Recovery Quality After Cesarean Delivery
This study tests whether following enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery protocols is linked with better recovery quality in women having a planned cesarean with spinal anesthesia.
-
Quality of Recovery after opioid-free vs opioid-based general anesthesia in major urological surgery
This trial tests whether opioid-free anesthesia leads to a better recovery score, as measured by QoR-15, in adults undergoing major urological surgery compared to anesthesia with remifentanil.
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.