Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Real-world longitudinal data collected from the SleepHealth mobile app study
Sean Deering1, Abhishek Pratap2, Christine Suver2
1Health Services Research & Development, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA.
Abstract:
Conducting biomedical research using smartphones is a novel approach to studying health and disease that is only beginning to be meaningfully explored. Gathering large-scale, real-world data to track disease manifestation and long-term trajectory in this manner is quite practical and largely untapped. Researchers can assess large study cohorts using surveys and sensor-based activities that can be interspersed with participants' daily routines. In addition, this approach offers a medium for researchers to collect contextual and environmental data via device-based sensors, data aggregator frameworks, and connected wearable devices. The main aim of the SleepHealth Mobile App Study (SHMAS) was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between sleep habits and daytime functioning utilizing a novel digital health approach. Secondary goals included assessing the feasibility of a fully-remote approach to obtaining clinical characteristics of participants, evaluating data validity, and examining user retention patterns and data-sharing preferences. Here, we provide a description of data collected from 7,250 participants living in the United States who chose to share their data broadly with the study team and qualified researchers worldwide.
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