The “My internal clock” app allows you to perform a self-diagnosis according to age, sex and time habits, and thus access recommendations to change habits and improve sleep hygiene and circadian rhythms that are fundamental for health. From now on, it can be downloaded from the Apple Store.
A version of “My Internal Clock” is now available on the Apple Store (iOS), a free application for cell phones developed by a team of scientists for the Argentine population to carry out a self-diagnosis according to age, sex and time habits, in order to get recommendations to improve sleep hygiene and circadian rhythms that are critical to health. Last September it was released on the Play Store (Android).
“We are very proud to finally have the iOS version of the app with which we make available to all those (over 13 years old) residing in Argentine territory a tool that allows you to assess how your daily habits affect your internal clock and in case you detect that are ‘out of phase’ suggests small adjustments to improve the functioning of your circadian clock”said Fernanda Ceriani, one of the project leaders, head of the Behavioral Genetics Laboratory at the Leloir Institute Foundation (FIL) and a researcher at CONICET.
When the internal clock and environment are out of alignment for too long, health problems arise, ranging from insomnia to metabolic problems such as diabetes. In addition, it can affect the immune system and be associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression. It can also make learning more difficult, increase the number of errors, and reduce cognitive performance.
With funding from the National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation (R+D+i Agency), the “O Meu Relógio Interno” app was initially developed to limit the impact of changes in habits imposed by the COVID -19 pandemic. in our biological clock.
“The idea for the app arose in the context of the confinement associated with the pandemic, because we predicted that two main stimuli would be affected to set our biological clock: exposure to sunlight and the regular schedule of our daily activities. However, the app is useful in any scenario because it was generated from our country’s local data.”, highlighted María Juliana Leone, also leader of the project, PhD in Basic and Applied Sciences from the National University of Quilmes (UNQ) and a CONICET researcher at the UNQ and the Torcuato Di Tella University. And I add: “In this way, it generates personalized recommendations to improve and keep circadian rhythms aligned and, thus, improve our rest, in addition to the conjuncture.”.
Leone also highlighted that it is very important that users try to modify their habits according to the recommendations for at least 15 days and then re-evaluate themselves in order to be able to conclude for themselves whether the different characteristics of their rest have improved.
The application asks users (adults and between 13 and 18 years old with the approval of a responsible person) to inform their exposure to sunlight, the hours and number of hours they sleep, the quality of rest and the regularity of the schedules of their activities. (study, work, physical activity, breakfast, lunch, dinner and other variables).
“My Internal Clock processes this information using an algorithm that we developed especially from data from the population of Argentina. Thanks to this, it provides users with personalized recommendations on how to adapt their habits to synchronize the circadian clock with the environment and thus contribute to the improvement of their health.”said Paula Cramer, also project leader and PhD in Biological Sciences, specialist in public communication of science and reference in the Science Clubs Network of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
“The app provides useful information to detect how our daily routines influence the quality of our circadian clock. It is in no way a substitute for medical consultation or treatment. It is intended to provide information and help raise awareness of how we can improve our habits and thus give us the possibility to improve our health.”, indicated Lia Frenkel, also leader of the project, PhD in Biology and researcher at the Institute of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Translational Biology (iB3-FBMC), which depends on the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at UBA.
Also participating in the project were data science specialist Ariel Haimovici; sociologists Elisa Epstein and Diana Munilla; the statistician Hugo Delfino; software developer Ignacio Oroná and team; and designer and digital marketing specialist Milagros Wienert. The project also has the support of the UNQ’s Observatory for Innovation and Technological Transfer (OITTEC).