ACTIVITY TRACKERS IN SHORT-TERM SELF-MONITORING OF PATIENTS WITH SLEEP DISORDERS: PITFALLS AND BENEFITS

Abstract

Wearable activity trackers are increasingly being used for the self-monitoring of well-being. Self-help devices are popular and there is a growing market for the monitoring of physical activity, sleep and other behaviour. However, evidence of their usefulness in relieving insomnia symptoms is scarce. This randomized clinical intervention study investigated the therapeutic significance of activity trackers among patients with sleep disorders that were referred to clinical sleep consultation. All the patients filled sleep logs for two weeks, while the intervention group also wore activity trackers as wristbands. Insomnia symptoms were significantly reduced in the group wearing activity trackers and their quality of life was significantly increased, whereas there were no significant changes in the control group. Subjective benefits of the activity tracking were reported by a majority of the patients, but a change in health behaviour during activity tracking was reported only by one third of the patients. The benefits were emphasized among those patients whose main problem was sleep related and whose psychiatric comorbidity was milder.

Keywords

• accelerometry
• anxiety
• depression
• mental well-being
• mobile phone
• 15d