Using sleep and daily rhythms to better predict blood sugar after meals

Integrating Sleep and Circadian Factors into Machine Learning Models for Personalized Glycemic Response Prediction

NIH-funded research Colorado State University · NIH-11322380

It uses sleep, activity, and meal-timing data with continuous glucose monitors to better predict adults' blood sugar spikes after meals, including night shift workers.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionColorado State University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Fort Collins, United States)
Project IDNIH-11322380 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) while researchers tightly track when you eat, sleep, and move over an 8-week period. The team will collect thousands of post-meal glucose readings linked to detailed sleep and activity timing. They will train machine-learning models that include circadian (daily rhythm) information so predictions reflect how timing affects your glucose. The goal is to make meal-time glucose predictions that work in real life and across different daily schedules.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults (21+)—especially night shift workers or people at risk for type 2 diabetes—who can wear a CGM and follow scheduled meal and sleep monitoring for several weeks.

Not a fit: People with type 1 diabetes, children, or anyone unable to comply with strict monitoring and controlled feeding are less likely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to more personalized meal timing and dietary advice that reduces harmful post-meal blood sugar spikes and lowers risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows that circadian timing affects glucose control, but integrating sleep and circadian data into machine-learning models for post-meal glucose prediction is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Fort Collins, 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.
Conditions Adult-Onset Diabetes MellitusCardiometabolic DiseaseCardiometabolic DisorderCardiovascular Diseases
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.