The thought journal app:Designed to confront thoughts that influence sleep

Problems initiating or maintaining sleep are prevalent and impact the quality of life negatively. Negative thinking patterns may perpetuate insomnia by inducing a state of arousal and consequently disrupting sleep. 'Thought challenging' is a common strategy to adopt a positive and peaceful mindset, but requires high awareness to internalize rational reasoning. Regular self-report and feedback may support the acquisition of fundamental reflection skills. We developed a thought journal in a mobile app to facilitate thought challenging. With the app, the users can reflect on daily situations and get visualized summaries as feedback. We carried out one week trial to explore perceived benefit, motivation, user engagement, and its integration with a sleep support tool. The results showed that using the app improved self-reflection skills and visualized summaries are perceived as motivating to log thoughts. </p

A review of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (Cbt-i apps): Are they designed for engagement?

There are different ways to deliver Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), of which in-person (face to face) is the traditional delivery method. However, the scalability of in-per-son therapy is low. Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (dCBT-I) is an alternative and there are tools on the market that are validated in clinical studies. In this paper, we provide a review of the existing evidence-based CBT-I apps and a summary of the published usability-ori-ented studies of these apps. The goal is to explore the range of interaction methods commonly applied in dCBT-I platforms, the potential impact for the users, and the design elements applied to achieve engagement. Six commercially available CBT-I apps tested by scientifically valid methods were accessed and reviewed. Commonalities were identified and categorized into interactive ele-ments, CBT-I-related components, managerial features, and supportive motivational features. The dCBT-I apps were effectively assisting the users, and the type of interactions promoted engagement. The apps’ features were based on design principles from interactive product design, experience design, online social media, and serious gaming. This study contributes to the field by providing a critical summary of the existing dCBT-I apps that could guide future developers in the field to achieve a high engagement

A digital sleep restriction system for insomnia therapy based on sleep window shift negotiation

Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder, characterized by problems with sleep initiation, and/or sleep maintenance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the current standard intervention. The labor-intensive nature of CBT-I hampers its scalability. Digital CBT-I could be an alternative solution, but the therapeutic feedback is too general and over-simplified at present, especially concerning sleep-restriction, a key component of CBT-I and also a standalone intervention. Here, a novel sleep restriction tool is described with an algorithm based on the negotiation of sleep window shift. The algorithm calculates the best-fitting sleep window from self-recorded sleep logs. The results of our study provided information about the tools' alignment with clinical practice. The future step is to improve the tool based on therapists recommendation, develop a functional prototype and carry out validation studies. Strategies used for this tool could create a new perspective in negotiation with digital therapy systems

The thought journal app: Designed to confront thoughts that influence sleep

Problems initiating or maintaining sleep are prevalent and impact the quality of life negatively. Negative thinking patterns may perpetuate insomnia by inducing a state of arousal and consequently disrupting sleep. 'Thought challenging' is a common strategy to adopt a positive and peaceful mindset, but requires high awareness to internalize rational reasoning. Regular self-report and feedback may support the acquisition of fundamental reflection skills. We developed a thought journal in a mobile app to facilitate thought challenging. With the app, the users can reflect on daily situations and get visualized summaries as feedback. We carried out one week trial to explore perceived benefit, motivation, user engagement, and its integration with a sleep support tool. The results showed that using the app improved self-reflection skills and visualized summaries are perceived as motivating to log thoughts

A digital sleep restriction system for insomnia therapy based on sleep window shift negotiation

\u3cp\u3eInsomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder, characterized by problems with sleep initiation, and/or sleep maintenance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the current standard intervention. The labor-intensive nature of CBT-I hampers its scalability. Digital CBT-I could be an alternative solution, but the therapeutic feedback is too general and over-simplified at present, especially concerning sleep-restriction, a key component of CBT-I and also a standalone intervention. Here, a novel sleep restriction tool is described with an algorithm based on the negotiation of sleep window shift. The algorithm calculates the best-fitting sleep window from self-recorded sleep logs. The results of our study provided information about the tools' alignment with clinical practice. The future step is to improve the tool based on therapists recommendation, develop a functional prototype and carry out validation studies. Strategies used for this tool could create a new perspective in negotiation with digital therapy systems.\u3c/p\u3

Design and evaluation of a negotiation-based sleep scheduler app for insomnia treatment

Sleep problems are increasing among society. The solutions are available yet limited to the public. Digital platforms have the benefit of accessibility. However, a lack of personalization is a primary challenge of digitalization. We designed a sleep scheduler app to support insomnia treatment and based the concepts with the principles of sleep restriction therapy. Restricted sleep schedules are provided through negotiation by taking personal sleep records into account. The app is evaluated with clinicians and target users through semi-structured interviews. The clinicians found the app well-aligned with the traditional practice. Anxiety is a significant concern as people with insomnia are sensitive by nature. The users perceived the instrument to play a vital role, and the predictions and feedback seem to be relevant to their situation. The design and strategy can increase therapy delivery, enhance the tailoring of digital interventions, and help solve the problem of scalability with higher adherence

Subjective sleep quality monitoring with the hypnos digital sleep diary:Evaluation of usability and user experience

\u3cp\u3eSleep diaries are records of individual's sleep and wake times, extending over a period of several days up to several weeks. Sleep diaries are often used to support the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders though the emergence of self-tracking technologies also makes them interesting for intrinsically motivated individuals who wish to gain insight into their sleep patterns and related influences. This paper introduces Hypnos, a digital sleep diary, and a user study aimed to its usability and the resulting user experience. The study involved eighteen participants without a diagnosed sleep disorder for a period of ten days. Overall Hypnos was found useful and usable which supports its application in practice, but it is advisable to make the user experience more attractive, stimulating and innovative in order to also make the self-tracking more intrinsically motivating.\u3c/p\u3

Subjective sleep quality monitoring with the hypnos digital sleep diary: Evaluation of usability and user experience

Sleep diaries are records of individual's sleep and wake times, extending over a period of several days up to several weeks. Sleep diaries are often used to support the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders though the emergence of self-tracking technologies also makes them interesting for intrinsically motivated individuals who wish to gain insight into their sleep patterns and related influences. This paper introduces Hypnos, a digital sleep diary, and a user study aimed to its usability and the resulting user experience. The study involved eighteen participants without a diagnosed sleep disorder for a period of ten days. Overall Hypnos was found useful and usable which supports its application in practice, but it is advisable to make the user experience more attractive, stimulating and innovative in order to also make the self-tracking more intrinsically motivating

Design and evaluation of a negotiation-based sleep scheduler app for insomnia treatment

Sleep problems are increasing among society. The solutions are available yet limited to the public. Digital platforms have the benefit of accessibility. However, a lack of personalization is a primary challenge of digitalization. We designed a sleep scheduler app to support insomnia treatment and based the concepts with the principles of sleep restriction therapy. Restricted sleep schedules are provided through negotiation by taking personal sleep records into account. The app is evaluated with clinicians and target users through semi-structured interviews. The clinicians found the app well-aligned with the traditional practice. Anxiety is a significant concern as people with insomnia are sensitive by nature. The users perceived the instrument to play a vital role, and the predictions and feedback seem to be relevant to their situation. The design and strategy can increase therapy delivery, enhance the tailoring of digital interventions, and help solve the problem of scalability with higher adherence