Firefighters' stress may show up in blood sugar — a wearable device puts it to the test
NCT ID NCT06899373
First seen Aug 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a wearable continuous glucose monitor can detect the body's stress response in firefighters during emergency calls. Stress triggers the nervous system, which raises blood glucose levels, so researchers will track glucose changes before and after dispatches and compare them to firefighters' self-reported stress. The goal is to see if glucose monitoring can quantify occupational stress as a health risk. Fifteen full-time firefighters will wear the device during their shifts.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Continuous glucose monitor (wearable device measuring interstitial glucose levels every minute)
- What this could lead to
- If glucose spikes reliably track stress, this could turn glucose monitoring into a tool for identifying occupational stress as a health risk in firefighters and other high-stress jobs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study in 15 firefighters, so results may not apply broadly. Stress responses vary widely, and glucose levels can be influenced by diet and activity, making it hard to isolate stress as the cause.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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15 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Finished
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Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Full time firefighters that work 48 hour work shifts followed by 96 hours of rest.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Full time Unified Fire Authority (UFA) employee working for a fire crew that has been designated by the UFA board as approved for study participation Exclusion Criteria: * Use of insulin * Diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus * Practicing a ketoacidosis or intermittent fasting diet * Intermittent use of glucocorticoids, antibiotics or benzodiazepines
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Unified Fire Authority
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States
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