Gamified Sleep-Tracking Application Enhances Sleep Quality and Supports Weight Management in Users

Recent research from the University of Tsukuba highlights the potential benefits of gamified sleep-tracking apps on sleep health and body weight. The study examined data from over 2,000 participants who used a sleep-tracking game, Pokémon Sleep, in conjunction with the diet and weight management app, ASKEN, over a 90-day period.

Results revealed that users experienced an average increase of approximately 48 minutes in total sleep time, from 5.5 to 6.3 hours, after consistent app use. While changes in other sleep aspects such as sleep latency, wake time after sleep onset (WASO), and bedtime were modest at the group level, a significant portion of individuals showed notable improvements. Specifically, 45.3% increased their total sleep time, 18.1% improved sleep latency, 24.4% reduced WASO, and 21.3% adjusted their bedtime.

Importantly, those who demonstrated enhancements in sleep duration, latency, or bedtime also tended to experience greater reductions in BMI, a measure of obesity calculated from height and weight. Among these, improved sleep latency was significantly associated with a decrease in BMI.

These findings suggest that integrating game-like features into sleep-tracking applications can motivate users to adopt healthier sleep habits, which may, in turn, support weight management efforts. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects and underlying mechanisms of this approach.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-gamified-tracking-app-body-mass.html