Well-Track: Wearable activity/sleep tracker for health & wellbeing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Well-Track project: mental health service integration of wearable activity and sleep trackers for improving health and wellbeing in early psychosis
IRAS ID
295193
Contact name
Chris Griffiths
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN39446555
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Well-Track, Well-Track
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 22 days
Research summary
Poor sleep hygiene and low levels of physical activity are linked to poor mental and physical health and higher mortality rates in people experiencing psychosis. People with experience of psychosis are more likely to have low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedation, and sleep disorders are common (80% of people). Low levels of psychical activity and poor sleep in psychosis are interconnected.
Regular physical activity has beneficial impact on well-being; and an effective primary and secondary preventative strategy against at least 25 chronic medical conditions. For people with psychosis, engaging in physical exercise is associated with improved quality of life, positive and negative psychotic symptomatology, cognition, functioning and physical health. When present with psychiatric comorbidities, sleep problems should be assessed, monitored and treated, and sleep hygiene advice for sleep problems in psychosis may be beneficial.
People with serious mental illness find Fitbit wearable activity/sleep trackers to be acceptable, motivating, and useful for enabling goal setting and healthier lifestyles. Using a Fitbit, sleep hygiene advice/training and physical exercise advice/opportunities can enhance wellbeing and physical health. An 8 week intervention incorporating these factors will be offered to around 30 patients in an early psychosis service. If people are identified as having sleep problems they will be offered the ‘Sleepio’ on-line sleep hygiene training programme, which has demonstrated significant reductions in insomnia, paranoia and hallucinations.
We will seek to answer the question: what is the impact on sleep, physical activity, wellbeing and health. In-depth interviews will explore participant experience, physical activity and sleep influencing factors, changes in lifestyle and gain understanding of how participants can best use technology, sleep hygiene and physical exercise advice. We will explore best-practice integration in mental health services and how to maximise benefits. The project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EM/0047
Date of REC Opinion
10 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion