About

Kelly Glazer Baron, PhD, MPH, DBSM, is a Professor (Tenured) in the Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah. She is a clinical psychologist with specialty training in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Dr. Baron completed her bachelor's degree with honors and distinction at the Ohio State University, her master's degree and PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Utah, and her predoctoral residency in health psychology at Rush University Medical School. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research and earned an MPH degree at Northwestern University. Prior to her current position, she held faculty roles at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Rush University Medical School. Dr. Baron leads a prominent behavior sleep research program and treats patients for sleep disorders, providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and other behavioral treatments for sleep-related issues such as circadian disorders, sleep apnea, nightmares, sleepwalking, and excessive sleepiness disorders like narcolepsy. She is passionate about increasing training and awareness of non-drug treatments for sleep disorders, which are highly effective at improving sleep and quality of life. Her research has been supported by the NIH and private foundations, and her work has been widely covered by the press, including outlets such as the New York Times, Consumer Reports, and Men’s Health.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Physical therapy
• Political Science
• Computer Science
• Internal medicine
• Clinical psychology
• Psychology

Selected publications

• A case report of dyadic CBT-I treatment for post-stroke insomnia with severe impairment

  Sleep Medicine · 2026-01-05

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• <b>Sleep Optimization to Improve Glycemic Targets in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Parallel Intervention Trial</b>

  2026-05-18

  article

  <p dir="ltr">Objective: To investigate the effects of a sleep intervention (Sleep-Opt) compared to Healthy Living control group on glycemic targets and psychological outcomes in adults with type 1diabetes (T1D). Research Design and Methods: Adults with T1D and short (<6.5 h/night) or irregular (variability of sleep duration ≥1 h) sleep were randomized to either Sleep-Opt (n=73) or Healthy Living control (n=71) interventions, both remotely delivered in 8 sessions for 12 weeks. Primary (A1C, continuous glucose monitor, objective sleep) and secondary (psychological and subjective sleep) outcomes were collected at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 weeks, with 12 weeks being a primary endpoint. Results: A1C and CGM parameters at 12 weeks showed no significant differences between groups. Sleep duration increased at 6 weeks in both groups, but there were no significant differences between groups at all time points. Sleep-Opt participants had reduced diabetes distress (-0.18 (-0.35, -0.01)) and improved subjective sleep quality (-0.96 (-0.17, -0.23)) compared to the Healthy Living group at 6 weeks but not at other time points. A significant interaction was found suggesting the intervention effect depended on baseline A1C levels. At 12 weeks, the Sleep-Opt group with a baseline A1C ≥7% had a lower A1C level than the Healthy Living group, marginal means -0.32% (95%CI -0,64, -0.005), -3.5 mmol/mol (95%CI -7.0,-0.1), p=0.047. Conclusions: Sleep-Opt did not improve glycemic targets or sleep parameters, although sleep improved in both intervention groups. Glycemic benefits were observed in participants with suboptimal A1C, suggesting a possible role of sleep intervention in this patient group.</p>

  PublisherDOI

• <b>Sleep Optimization to Improve Glycemic Targets in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Parallel Intervention Trial</b>

  2026-05-18

  article

  <p dir="ltr">Objective: To investigate the effects of a sleep intervention (Sleep-Opt) compared to Healthy Living control group on glycemic targets and psychological outcomes in adults with type 1diabetes (T1D). Research Design and Methods: Adults with T1D and short (<6.5 h/night) or irregular (variability of sleep duration ≥1 h) sleep were randomized to either Sleep-Opt (n=73) or Healthy Living control (n=71) interventions, both remotely delivered in 8 sessions for 12 weeks. Primary (A1C, continuous glucose monitor, objective sleep) and secondary (psychological and subjective sleep) outcomes were collected at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 weeks, with 12 weeks being a primary endpoint. Results: A1C and CGM parameters at 12 weeks showed no significant differences between groups. Sleep duration increased at 6 weeks in both groups, but there were no significant differences between groups at all time points. Sleep-Opt participants had reduced diabetes distress (-0.18 (-0.35, -0.01)) and improved subjective sleep quality (-0.96 (-0.17, -0.23)) compared to the Healthy Living group at 6 weeks but not at other time points. A significant interaction was found suggesting the intervention effect depended on baseline A1C levels. At 12 weeks, the Sleep-Opt group with a baseline A1C ≥7% had a lower A1C level than the Healthy Living group, marginal means -0.32% (95%CI -0,64, -0.005), -3.5 mmol/mol (95%CI -7.0,-0.1), p=0.047. Conclusions: Sleep-Opt did not improve glycemic targets or sleep parameters, although sleep improved in both intervention groups. Glycemic benefits were observed in participants with suboptimal A1C, suggesting a possible role of sleep intervention in this patient group.</p>

  PublisherDOI

• Cross-sectional associations between actigraphy-measured sleep and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure phenotypes among self-reported short sleepers with elevated blood pressure

  Sleep Medicine · 2026-01-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Nocturnal blood pressure (BP) phenotypes predict cardiovascular risk, yet most prior work relies on self-reported sleep rather than actigraphy with ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). To test whether actigraphy-measured total sleep time (TST) and sleep efficiency (SE) are associated with nocturnal BP phenotypes in adults with elevated BP and habitual short sleep. Baseline data from adults with elevated clinic BP and self-reported sleep < 7 h/night included approximately seven nights of wrist actigraphy and 24-h ABPM. Linear models estimated continuous outcomes, and Poisson regression estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for systolic/diastolic non-dipping and asleep hypertension across unadjusted, demographic-adjusted, and fully adjusted models. Longer TST was associated with a lower prevalence of diastolic non-dipping in unadjusted (PR per 10 min = 0.989, 95 % CI 0.981–0.997) and demographic-adjusted models (PR = 0.991, 95 % CI 0.984–0.997), with attenuation in fully adjusted models. SE was positively associated with systolic dipping in unadjusted models (β = 0.002, p = 0.036) and was nonsignificant after adjustment. Neither TST nor SE predicted asleep hypertension. Among short-sleeping adults with elevated BP, longer actigraphy-measured TST relates to more favorable nocturnal BP, specifically lower diastolic non-dipping, although effects attenuate with full adjustment. Findings support integrating actigraphy with ABPM to improve characterization of nocturnal BP phenotypes. • Multi-night actigraphy overlapped with 24-h ABPM to assess nocturnal BP phenotypes • Longer total sleep time associated with reduced diastolic non-dipping • Higher sleep efficiency related to greater systolic dipping (unadjusted) • No association observed between sleep measures and asleep hypertension • Objective sleep measures may improve accuracy in identifying asleep BP patterns

  PublisherDOI

• Real-World Use of Consumer Sleep Devices

  CHEST Journal · 2026-03-11

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Actigraphic estimates of sleep duration in those reporting sleeping less than 7 h

  Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine · 2026-05-22

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: Sleep duration < 7 h increases risk for chronic disease, which makes identifying short sleep duration critical to public health. The goal of this study is to evaluate objective short sleep duration among individuals who self-report insufficient sleep to test and evaluate predictors of the subjective-objective sleep duration difference. METHODS: This study presents baseline data from a sleep extension study involving adults aged 18-65, fluency in English, and self-reported sleep duration ≤ 7 h and elevated blood pressure. Objective sleep duration was measured with actigraphy, and subjective-objective sleep difference was calculated as the difference between self-reported habitual sleep duration and actigraphically measured sleep duration. Data were analyzed using regression models, Bland-Altman plots and exploratory spline-based logistic regression models. RESULTS: Among 195 adults (age m = 42 ± 11 years), 54% had objective sleep duration < 7 h, and on average participants underestimated their sleep by 29 m. Under-reporting of self-reported sleep compared to actigraphy was associated with poorer objective sleep, including longer sleep onset latency (p < .001) and higher wake after sleep onset (p < .001), but also higher sleep efficiency (p < .001). In addition, perceived stress (p < .01) and self-reported sleep disturbance (p < .01) were associated with underestimation. A Bland-Altman analysis showed larger negative differences at longer objective sleep durations, consistent with both sleep perception patterns and statistical regression effects. Exploratory spline-based logistic modeling indicated a U-shaped relation with the lowest predicted probability of a large subjective-objective difference occurring at approximately 6.3 h of objective sleep duration. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of objective assessments to determine short sleep duration. Poorer subjective and objective sleep and higher stress may intensify perceptions of inadequate sleep, contributing to under-reporting. Sleep duration < 7 h increases risk for chronic disease, which makes identifying short sleep duration critical to public health. The goal of this study is to evaluate objective short sleep duration among individuals who self-report insufficient sleep and test and evaluate predictors of the subjective-objective sleep duration difference. Results demonstrate that half of individuals with self-reported sleep duration < 7 h did not have objective short sleep duration; most participants tended to underestimate their sleep duration, in particular those with poorer objective sleep, sleep disturbance, and higher stress. This difference between self-reported and objective sleep highlights the complexity of identifying individuals and populations with objectively short sleep duration for research and public health interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• From yawn to dawn: the effects of a sleep extension intervention on objective and subjective dimensions of sleep health in adults with habitual short sleep duration

  SLEEP Advances · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Study Objectives We examined the impact of a sleep extension intervention on multiple dimensions of sleep in adults with habitual short sleep duration. Methods Thirty healthy participants (14 women; aged 23.1 ± 4.5 years; BMI 22.3 ± 2.2 kg/m2 [mean ± SD]) with &amp;lt;6.5 h sleep/night completed a 2-week baseline assessment followed by a 4-week sleep extension intervention (2 h/night increased time in bed). Wrist actigraphy, at-home electroencephalography (EEG; DREEM headband), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and daily quality/satisfaction and alertness Likert-scales quantified sleep. Results Baseline total sleep time (TST) was 5.5 ± 0.7 h. During sleep extension, actigraphy time in bed and TST increased (p &amp;lt; .001) by 60.8 ± 46.7 and 46.6 ± 41.1 minutes, respectively, sleep onset shifted earlier (p &amp;lt; .001) by 51.9 ± 64.5 minutes, with regularity similar to baseline. EEG showed increases (all p &amp;lt; .05) in TST (61.8 ± 75.6 minutes), Stage N1 (5.09 ± 6.51 minutes), Stage N2 (39.54 ± 41.78 minutes), rapid eye movement sleep (13.58 ± 28.86 minutes), and wakefulness after sleep onset (4.86 ± 8.03 minutes), with a nonsignificant decrease (p = .07) in sleep efficiency (−1.38 ± 4.15%). Subjective alertness, ISI, PSQI, and ESS each improved (all p &amp;lt; .05) during sleep extension. Conclusion Our findings help establish efficacy of sleep extension as an experimental intervention the sleep field can leverage across diverse contexts to study potential health benefits of increasing free-living TST. During sleep extension, the largest effects were observed for improved TST and ESS. Alternatively, some sleep dimensions including sleep regularity remained unchanged, highlighting a potential need for developing multi-component interventions that can improve more dimensions of sleep as both short and irregular sleep are linked with adverse health outcomes. Clinical Trials Biomarkers of Increased Free Living Sleep Time. URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04214184. ClinicalTRIALS.gov ID: NCT04214184. Statement of Significance We provide a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of a free-living sleep extension intervention on multiple dimensions of sleep health in adults with habitual short sleep duration. Using multiple objective and subjective outcomes, we show that extending time in bed for 4 weeks increases total sleep time and selectively increases N1, N2, and rapid eye movement sleep, while sleep regularity and N3 sleep remain unchanged. Sleep extension also improves subjective sleepiness and sleep quality. These findings help establish sleep extension as an experimental intervention for increasing free-living sleep duration and improving specific dimensions of sleep health. Importantly, the lack of improvement in some dimensions highlights the need for multi-component interventions to address sleep health and related disease risk more fully.

  PublisherDOI

• Using consumer sleep trackers for sleep extension interventions: retention, adherence, and user experiences

  SLEEP Advances · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Study Objectives: Consumer sleep trackers (CSTs) can provide insights into sleep behaviors for behavioral interventions. This study aimed to describe the implementation, adherence, and participant perceptions of CSTs across two behavioral sleep extension studies: Study 1, the Sleep Technology Intervention to Target Cardiometabolic Health and Study 2, the Sleep Optimization for Type 1 Diabetes. Methods: Both studies employed randomized controlled trial designs. Participants were provided with CSTs and engaged in structured coaching sessions via Zoom or phone, supplemented with sleep education materials. Adherence was measured by the number of days with sleep data recorded during the intervention periods (8 weeks for Study 1, 12 weeks for Study 2). Participant feedback was collected through end-of-study surveys that included open-ended questions with free text answers to assess usability, satisfaction, and perceived impact of CSTs. Open-ended feedback was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Study 1 enrolled 60 participants, and Study 2 enrolled 73 participants. Adherence was 89% and 86% and retention was 100% and 86%, respectively. Open-ended feedback revealed three themes: positive aspects of device use, negative aspects of device use, and device usability and data interactions. Participants found the CST helpful for motivation and goal tracking. However, technical issues, discomfort, and emotional responses to sleep data were noted as barriers. Conclusions: CSTs, when paired with personalized coaching and support, can effectively be used to promote participant engagement in sleep behavior change studies. Continued research is essential to refine wearable technology interventions to maximize their impact on health behavior modification.This article is part of the Consumer Sleep Technology Special Collection.

  PublisherDOI

• Sleep Optimization to Improve Glycemic Targets in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Parallel Intervention Trial

  Diabetes Care · 2026-05-18

  article

  OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a sleep intervention (Sleep-Opt) compared with an attention control intervention (Healthy Living) on glycemic targets and psychological outcomes in adults with type 1diabetes (T1D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Adults with T1D and short (<6.5 h/night) or irregular (variability of sleep duration ≥1 h) sleep were randomly assigned to either the Sleep-Opt (n = 73) or Healthy Living control (n = 71) intervention, both of which were remotely delivered in eight sessions for 12 weeks. Primary (A1C, continuous glucose monitoring [CGM], and objective sleep) and secondary (psychological and subjective sleep) outcomes were collected at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 weeks, with 12 weeks being a primary end point. RESULTS: A1C and CGM parameters at 12 weeks indicated no significant differences between groups. Sleep duration increased at 6 weeks in both groups, but no significant differences were observed between groups at any time point. Sleep-Opt participants had reduced diabetes distress (median difference -0.18 [95% CI -0.35, -0.01]) and improved subjective sleep quality (-0.96 [-0.17, -0.23]) compared with the Healthy Living group at 6 weeks but not at other time points. A significant interaction was found suggesting the effect of the intervention depended on baseline A1C level. At 12 weeks, the Sleep-Opt group with baseline A1C ≥7% had a lower A1C level than the Healthy Living group (marginal mean -0.32% [95% CI -0,64%, -0.005%]; -3.5 [95% CI -7.0, -0.1] mmol/mol; P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep-Opt did not improve glycemic targets or sleep parameters, although sleep improved in both intervention groups. Glycemic benefits were observed in participants with suboptimal A1C, suggesting a possible role of sleep intervention in this patient group.

  PublisherDOI

• Protocol for Nuestro Sueño: A randomized trial of a couples-based intervention to improve PAP adherence and sleep health among Hispanic patients beginning positive airway pressure (PAP) and their partners

  Sleep Medicine · 2026-05-15

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common among Hispanic individuals and contributes to risk for cardiometabolic diseases, dementia and poor quality of life. Positive airway pressure (PAP) improves sleep and quality of life, and culturally adapted interventions are promising for increasing treatment engagement. The goal of this study is to test Nuestro Sueño, a culturally adapted couples-based intervention to promote positive airway pressure adherence and sleep health for Hispanic couples in which one partner is recently diagnosed with OSA. We are conducting a two-arm, parallel group, single blind, randomized controlled pilot/feasibility trial to compare our novel culturally adapted treatment to an information control (IC). Nuestro Sueño is a culturally adapted dyadic behavioral intervention based on a transdiagnostic model. The digital health program involves 3- weekly sessions delivered via telehealth with a community health worker. Content is focused on education about OSA and PAP, improving both partner’s sleep quality, increasing partner support and communication, and couple-level goal-setting around sleep and PAP use. The IC includes standardized patient educational materials. Both groups receive the usual follow-up care. Assessments will be completed pre-treatment, 1 and 3 months after starting PAP. Our main outcomes are feasibility and treatment satisfaction. Secondary outcomes include comparing Nuestro Sueño to IC for PAP adherence, sleep quality (self-report and objective) and cognitive measures of memory, processing speed and verbal fluency. Nuestro Sueño is a novel culturally adapted intervention focused on improving PAP adherence and sleep health among couples in which one partner is recently diagnosed with OSA. Results of this study will be used to inform the design of a subsequent fully adequately-powered clinical trial. If successful, this intervention could significantly advance current clinical practice in the treatment of OSA and sleep health more comprehensively as well as promote sleep health equity among Hispanic patients, who are more likely to face challenges to obtaining diagnosis and treatment for OSA. Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT06649929 • Sleep apnea risk is elevated among Hispanics. • Culturally tailored interventions can improve engagement with treatment. • Nuestro Sueno focuses on improving the couples’ sleep within their language and culture.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant K23HL109110

  NIH · $529k · 2015

Frequent coauthors

• Kathryn J. Reid

  Northwestern University

  45 shared

• Jennifer Duffecy

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  25 shared

• Phyllis C. Zee

  22 shared

• Stephanie Ann Hooker

  University of Minnesota

  20 shared

• Laura B. Oswald

  Moffitt Cancer Center

  16 shared

• Sirimon Reutrakul

  RELX Group (United States)

  16 shared

• Wendy Troxel

  RAND Corporation

  10 shared

• Pamela Martyn‐Nemeth

  University of Illinois Chicago

  10 shared

Education

• B.S.

  Ohio State University

• M.S., Clinical Psychology

  University of Utah

• Ph.D., Clinical Psychology

  University of Utah

• Other

  Northwestern University

Awards & honors

• American Board of Sleep Medicine (Behavioral Sleep Medicine)