Smartphone Applications to Support Sleep Self-Management: Review and Evaluation

Mobile health (mHealth) tools such as smartphone applications (apps) have potential to support sleep self-management. The objective of this review was to identify the status of available consumer mHealth apps targeted toward supporting sleep self-management and assess their functionalities. We searc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical sleep medicine 2018-10, Vol.14 (10), p.1783-1790
Main Authors: Choi, Yong K, Demiris, George, Lin, Shih-Yin, Iribarren, Sarah J, Landis, Carol A, Thompson, Hilaire J, McCurry, Susan M, Heitkemper, Margaret M, Ward, Teresa M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Mobile Applications
Review
Self Care - methods
Sleep Hygiene
Sleep Wake Disorders - diagnosis
Sleep Wake Disorders - therapy
Smartphone
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Summary:Mobile health (mHealth) tools such as smartphone applications (apps) have potential to support sleep self-management. The objective of this review was to identify the status of available consumer mHealth apps targeted toward supporting sleep self-management and assess their functionalities. We searched four mobile app stores (iTunes Appstore, Android Google Play, Amazon Appstore, and Microsoft Appstore) using the terms "sleep", "sleep management," "sleep monitoring," and "sleep tracking." Apps were evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionality scores. We identified 2,431 potentially relevant apps, of which 73 met inclusion criteria. Most apps were excluded because they were unrelated to sleep self-management, simply provided alarm service, or solely played relaxation sounds in an attempt to improve sleep. The median overall MARS score was 3.1 out of 5, and more than half of apps (42/73, 58%) had a minimum acceptability score of 3.0. The apps had on average 7 functions based on the IMS functionality criteria (range 2 to 11). A record function was present in all apps but only eight had the function to intervene. About half of the apps (33/73, 45%) collected data automatically using embedded sensors, 27 apps allowed the user to manually enter sleep data, and 14 apps supported both types of data recording. The findings suggest that few apps meet prespecified criteria for quality, content, and functionality for sleep self-management. Despite the rapid evolution of sleep self-management apps, lack of validation studies is a significant concern that limits the clinical value of these apps.
ISSN:1550-9389
1550-9397
DOI:10.5664/jcsm.7396