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Updated: Aug 5, 2025
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
12.1K
Integrating sleep health into resilience research
Jennifer L Guida1, Alfonso Alfini2, Karen C Lee3
1Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Summary
This study reviewed National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants on sleep and resilience. Findings show NIH funding supports research into how sleep impacts health maintenance and recovery from stress.
Area of Science:
- Sleep science
- Resilience research
- Health and wellness
Background:
- Sleep is vital for mental and physical health.
- Sleep may enhance resilience to stressors.
- Understanding sleep's role in health maintenance is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Analyze active National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants (R01 and R21) from FY 2016-2021.
- Examine study designs exploring sleep as a factor in health maintenance, survivorship, and protective pathways.
- Identify research trends and gaps in sleep and resilience studies.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a targeted search of NIH R01 and R21 research project grants.
- Included grants funded between Fiscal Years 2016 and 2021.
- Focused on grants explicitly addressing sleep and resilience.
Main Results:
- Identified 16 active grants across six NIH institutes meeting inclusion criteria.
- Most grants were funded in FY 2021 (68.8%) and utilized the R01 mechanism (81.3%).
- Predominantly observational studies (75.0%) focused on resisting stressors (56.3%), with a focus on early/midlife and underserved populations.
Conclusions:
- NIH-funded research actively explores sleep's role in resilience.
- Studies commonly investigate sleep's impact on resisting, adapting to, and recovering from challenges.
- There is a need to expand research on sleep's role in promoting molecular, physiological, and psychological resilience.
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