Topic: Translational Medicine

Studying sleep with wearable devices: How technology can help us sleep better

A good night’s sleep is one of the keys to feeling good the next day. But how do we know if we’re getting enough? Assistant Professor Stuti Jaiswal and her colleagues at the Scripps Research Translational Institute and the Digital Trials Center recently launched a study called REFRESH. It uses wearable data to track participants’ sleep. Since participants never have to go to a lab, researchers can see how they sleep over long periods of time, and gain insight into how sleep affects their health. As technology advances, and studies like refresh give researchers a better understanding of sleep, a day could come when everyone has the tools to sleep better.

The digital medicine revolution

From smartwatches and fitness bands to glucose monitors and in-home ultrasounds, the proliferation of digital devices is igniting a revolution in healthcare and medical research. Patients can now collect thousands of data points about themselves and share that information with their healthcare providers. At the Scripps Research Translational Institute, researchers are taking advantage of new technology to study disease in novel ways. Their projects include a platform for early detection of disease outbreaks, a sleep quality study, and even a way to predict and individual’s risk of certain disease based on their genetics. In this video, hear directly from the team about this exciting new frontier.