SleepCircle helps youth maintain sleep rhythm

SleepCircle is an application that can upload data from any sleep tracker, help users in problems related to the timing of sleep and problems concerning sleep rhythm that affect youth in particular with far reaching consequences, according to a study conducted by the University of Helsinki.

Sleep deprivation affects health, the regulation of emotions, coping and learning in a multitude of ways. Furthermore, problems related to the rhythm of sleep experienced by the young are realised as tardiness in school and issues of life management, potentially carrying on from school long into adulthood, said the University of Helsinki in a press release.

Anu-Katriina Pesonen, a professor of clinical and developmental psychology at the University of Helsinki, is investigating sleep rhythm regulation among adolescents under the ‘Sleep Helsinki!’ research project.

SleepCircle, a sleep application born out of the research, dates back to the ‘Helsinki Challenge’ competition four years ago.

SleepCircle offers its users sleep training based on data collected by wearable sleep and activity trackers. The application is compatible with nearly all sleep detecting devices available on the market.

“Sleep training utilises research-based evidence of improving one’s sleep rhythm,” Pesonen said.

SleepCircle assembles this research data onto a single platform, serving it to the user in the form of cognitive and game-like tasks. These tasks, aimed at controlling sleep rhythm, guide users to observe, among other things, their personal need for sleep and the effects of sleep on memory functions.

Research indicates that there is a biological pressure to stay up late, particularly in teens and young adults. Their melatonin production begins later and they cope with tiredness better, being able to stay awake past the point ideal for going to sleep.

“However, behavioural factors can be used to regulate one’s circadian rhythm. In recent years, people’s interest in sleep has grown, and awareness of the significance of sleep has increased both in research and people’s minds,” Pesonen says.

This greater awareness, in turn, increases motivation to change one’s sleep rhythm.

SleepCircle’s positive effects on quality of life will be tested at a medical centre for children and adolescents among young patients suffering from sleep disorders. The training is supported by a personal sleep coach that receives sleep data directly from the application.

“A virtual training service could reach a large number of adolescents who are not necessarily prepared to go to a physician to ask for help in controlling their sleep rhythm,” said Pesonen.