A large clinical trial to improve well-being during the transition to college using wearables: The lived experiences measured using rings study

Price, Matthew; Hidalgo, Johanna E.; Bird, Yoshi M.; Bloomfield, Laura S.P.; Buck, Casey; Cerutti, Janine; Dodds, Peter Sheridan; Fudolig, Mikaela Irene; Gehman, Rachel; Hickok, Marc; Kim, Julia; Llorin, Jordan; Lovato, Juniper; McGinnis, Ellen W.; McGinnis, Ryan S.; Norton, Richard; Ramirez, Vanessa; Stanton, Kathryn; Ricketts, Taylor H.; Danforth, Christopher M.

doi:10.1016/j.cct.2023.107338

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…We are interested in studying university students [ 76 ] as they are a population at risk [ 77 ] for which mental health interventions are highly relevant and more easily implementable [ 52 – 54 ]. However, this sample limits the generalizability of our results in terms of demographics, sleep disorder prevalence [ 78 ], and life stressors [ 79 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sleep data were obtained from 603 participants in LEMURS, who, at the time of the study, were first-year students in a university in the USA [ 52 – 54 ]. Participants were asked to wear the Oura ring (Gen3) during sleep for 8 weeks (Oct–Dec 2022).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Young adulthood is a critical life stage in detecting and treating mental health conditions and has been the subject of several studies [ 48 – 51 ]. An ongoing study at a university in the northeast USA (the Lived Experiences Measured Using Rings Study, or LEMURS) [ 52 – 54 ] monitors the mental and physical well-being of a cohort of college students using surveys and the Oura ring (Gen3), a wearable sleep and activity tracker [ 23 , 24 ] that provides heart rate measurements in excellent agreement with those from electrocardiography [ 27 ]. With around half of study participants diagnosed with a mental health condition or having experienced two or more traumatic events [ 55 ], this dataset provides a unique perspective on the relationship between mental health and sleep for a population at risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Two Fundamental Shapes of Sleep Heart Rate Dynamics and Their Connection to Mental Health in College Students

Fudolig,

Bloomfield,

Price

et al. 2024

Digit Biomark

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Introduction: Wearable devices are rapidly improving our ability to observe health-related processes for extended durations in an unintrusive manner. In this study, we use wearable devices to understand how the shape of the heart rate curve during sleep relates to mental health. Methods: As part of the Lived Experiences Measured Using Rings Study (LEMURS), we collected heart rate measurements using the Oura ring (Gen3) for over 25,000 sleep periods and self-reported mental health indicators from roughly 600 first-year university students in the USA during the fall semester of 2022. Using clustering techniques, we find that the sleeping heart rate curves can be broadly separated into two categories that are mainly differentiated by how far along the sleep period the lowest heart rate is reached. Results: Sleep periods characterized by reaching the lowest heart rate later during sleep are also associated with shorter deep and REM sleep and longer light sleep, but not a difference in total sleep duration. Aggregating sleep periods at the individual level, we find that consistently reaching the lowest heart rate later during sleep is a significant predictor of (1) self-reported impairment due to anxiety or depression, (2) a prior mental health diagnosis, and (3) firsthand experience in traumatic events. This association is more pronounced among females. Conclusion: Our results show that the shape of the sleeping heart rate curve, which is only weakly correlated with descriptive statistics such as the average or the minimum heart rate, is a viable but mostly overlooked metric that can help quantify the relationship between sleep and mental health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Two Fundamental Shapes of Sleep Heart Rate Dynamics and Their Connection to Mental Health in College Students

Fudolig,

Bloomfield,

Price

et al. 2024

Digit Biomark

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“…Studies have found that NatureDose TM -measured nature exposure was associated with lowered stress levels 66 and improved positive mood states, 65 as reported in survey responses among college students. Trials where healthcare providers are "prescribing" time outdoors in nature and requesting participants monitor exposure using the app are being conducted in Vermont, 75 Texas, and Oregon. Researchers and clinicians are also pursuing funding for studies to use the app and NatureScore TM technology to monitor participants' environmental exposures and health outcomes.…”

Section: Assessing and Promoting Nature Exposure With Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%