R01HL156788

The Role of Sleep in Cardiovascular Health Among Men Living with HIV - Project Summary

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health concern facing the U.S. population, with the impact of risk factors accumulating over the lifespan and beginning well before older age. Increasingly, the study of cardiovascular health for people living with HIV is vital given the growing number of middle- and older-aged adults living with HIV as a chronic condition and its complex effects on cardiovascular health directly, and indirectly through HIV's impact on inflammation.

In the general population, poor or inadequate sleep has been linked with increased risk for CVD, in part through its impact on inflammation and other physiological mechanisms. In our own work, among sexual minority men living with HIV, poor sleep has also been linked with lower rates of adherence to antiretroviral (ART) medications. Therefore, the study of cardiovascular health among people living with HIV requires special consideration of the pathways from poor sleep through worsened HIV health to increased CVD risk both directly, and indirectly through inflammation (principally, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and CRP).

Further, we hypothesize that, contributing to this larger picture of physiological pathways from sleep to CVD risk, is a day-level psychosocial-behavioral dynamic whereby experiences of minority stress affect subsequent ART adherence through the impact of minority stress on sleep. Accordingly, in the proposed observational, longitudinal study of 240 racially-diverse sexual minority men living with HIV, aged 45-64, we aim to use longitudinal data to test the hypotheses that poor sleep longitudinally predicts greater CVD risk among SMM-LWH aged 45-64, in part through the impact of poor sleep on HIV health, and in part through the impact of poor sleep on inflammation.

Additionally, we aim to test the day-level hypothesis that the impact of multiple, intersecting sources of minority stress (sexual minority stress, racial/ethnic minority stress, and/or HIV-related stress) on next-day ART adherence in SMM-LWH operates, in part, through the day-level impact of minority stress on poor sleep. This proposed study aligns with the growing recognition of the importance of sleep in numerous mental, behavioral, and physical health outcomes, and also contributes to our understanding of how minority stress "gets under the skin" (here, through its impact on sleep) to affect physical health outcomes in individuals with marginalized identities.

Rutgers The State University Of New Jersey

THE NATIONAL CENTER ON SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH (NCSDR) SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING RELATED TO SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING, AND THE FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. THE CENTER ALSO STEWARDS SEVERAL FORUMS THAT FACILITATE THE COORDINATION OF SLEEP RESEARCH ACROSS NIH, OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD AND AN NIH-WIDE SLEEP RESEARCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THE CENTER ALSO PARTICIPATES IN THE TRANSLATION OF NEW SLEEP RESEARCH FINDINGS FOR DISSEMINATION TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, USE SMALL BUSINESS TO MEET FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE-SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE R&D BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESSES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL R&D.

93.837 - Cardiovascular Diseases Research

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) [HHS - NIH]

Newark, New Jersey 071073001 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 376% from $707,969 to $3,368,800.