Technology-based gamification in sleep medicine: A useful tool for physicians?
1 Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School, St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
2 Barnes Jewish Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
# Equally contributed to corresponding author.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 22(03), 1759–1768
Publication history:
Received on 16 May 2024; revised on 25 June 2024; accepted on 27 June 2024
Abstract:
In recent years, individuals’ nightly sleep quality, hygiene and duration have declined significantly. Gamification, the addition of game-based elements to non-game contexts, is an emerging tool in medical education and may be readily applicable to sleep medicine. Initially developed for use in retail and education, gamification increases productivity and knowledge acquisition and retention. Between the dates of 12/16/2023 and 03/27/2024, we conducted a focused review of eleven recent studies investigating the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of technology-based gamification interventions in improving subjects’ sleep duration, quality, and hygiene. Some studies focused primarily on imparting information while others sought to gamify user incentives. Most interventions were effective in improving user knowledge and sleep hygiene, were feasible to implement, and had high acceptability among subjects, measured through qualitative and quantitative data metrics. Effective media included mobile applications, wearable technology, and console-based exercise games (“exergames”). Although valid concerns exist regarding use of technology near bedtime, technology-based games designed for daytime usage offer more immersive experiences and increased user engagement. In the future, we anticipate increased use of gamification by primary care physicians, sleep physicians, and psychologists, particularly in rural areas, within pediatric sleep medicine, and to augment traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. New research should examine the addition of gamification to sleep-focused telemedicine and school-based educational sleep interventions.
Keywords:
Gamification; Sleep Hygiene; Consumer Sleep Technology; Adolescent Sleep; Sleep Gamification
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Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0