Sleepless nights may change how your painkillers work

NCT ID NCT04299490

Completed Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study looks at how disrupted sleep changes the way common drugs (like painkillers, stimulants, and sedatives) work in the body. Researchers will disturb the sleep of 148 healthy adults in a lab and then measure how their brains respond to these drugs, including pain relief and potential for abuse. The goal is to understand if poor sleep makes medications more or less effective or risky.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: sleep fragmentation (behavioral) and various drugs (stimulant, benzodiazepine, opioid, cannabinoid, over-the-counter pain medication, or placebo)
What this could lead to: If successful, this study could help doctors understand how sleep problems change the way painkillers and other drugs work, leading to safer prescribing for people with poor sleep.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase study in healthy volunteers, not patients. The lab-based sleep disruption may not reflect real-world sleep issues, and results may not apply to people with chronic pain or sleep disorders.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia insomnia Pain Parasomnias sleep apnea syndrome sleep disorder sleep-wake disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

HEALTHY SLEEP DISORDER

Contacts and locations

Locations

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States

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