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Sleep apps and the quantified self: blessing or curse?
Author(s) -
Van den Bulck Jan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1111/jsr.12270
Subject(s) - sleep (system call) , internet privacy , entertainment , mobile device , blessing , phone , population , mobile phone , computer science , point (geometry) , curse , computer security , multimedia , medicine , telecommunications , world wide web , philosophy , operating system , art , linguistics , geometry , mathematics , environmental health , archaeology , sociology , anthropology , visual arts , history
A vibrating alarm from the SONY SWR10 Smartband wakes up the wearer not at a prearranged hour, but at the point near that hour when, according to the device’s measurements, the wearer is in a state of light rather than deep sleep. This, the manual claims, helps the wearer awaken refreshed rather than sleepy. Welcome to the wonderful world of quantifying sleep with a mobile phone. Entertainment and communication media evolve at an amazing rate. Tablet computers were adopted by a large part of the population, including children, in a matter of months (Zickuhr, 2013). The same applies to so-called smartphones, mobile telephones that are pocket-sized computing and communication devices. These developments are so rapid that the academic and public health world has a hard time catching up. By the time studies on the uses and effects of these devices are published, they may no longer describe the current situation. And yet, it is important to stay abreast of such developments, particularly in the world of sleep medicine. Widely available, easily affordable and consumeroriented portable devices are likely to influence how a growing number of people perceive their sleep and how they interact with sleep professionals.