Social Rhythms

Name: Social Rhythms
Author: University of Michigan

University of Michigan

VALIDATED

Initial evidence from research studies

For:Researchers & AcademicsGeneral Public & Enthusiasts

Free

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App Summary

The Social Rhythms app analyzes heart rate and activity data from commercial wearables to provide users with personalized reports on their internal circadian clock. The app's statistical method was developed using over 130,000 days of real-world data, and a subsequent evaluation study found that disruptions like social distancing caused a user's heart rate rhythm to diverge from their activity rhythm in 70% of subjects. The authors conclude that tracking these distinct rhythms is necessary to understand internal desynchrony and may help inform future interventions to realign the body's clocks.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

The Social Rhythms system, developed at the University of Michigan, analyzes physiological data from consumer wearables. The application anonymously integrates heart rate and activity data via its connection to smartphone health platforms. It leverages a validated statistical method to extract and track key parameters, including the underlying circadian rhythm in heart rate (CRHR). The interface then generates personalized reports that characterize an individual's circadian timekeeping and identify potential disruptions resulting from external stimuli or schedule changes.

Evidence & Research Context

The system's statistical model for extracting circadian rhythms was developed and tested using over 130,000 days of real-world wearable data from medical interns.
An evaluation study demonstrated that the app's heart rate-based circadian markers align with laboratory gold-standard melatonin measurements (DLMO) after accounting for phase error.
Data collected via the app were utilized in research to investigate the effects of social distancing on circadian timekeeping during the COVID-19 lockdown.
This study found that lockdown conditions induced internal circadian desynchrony in 70% of subjects, characterized by a divergence between heart rate and activity-based rhythms.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is intended for the general public for personal circadian rhythm monitoring and for researchers as a data collection platform. Its primary utility is to provide personalized, data-driven insights into biological clock function and potential disruptions. The system does not provide medical diagnoses or treatment recommendations; users should consult a healthcare professional to interpret significant findings.

Studies & Publications

2 publications

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Effectiveness/Outcome Study

Distinct Circadian Assessments From Wearable Data Reveal Social Distancing Promoted Internal Desynchrony Between Circadian Markers

Huang et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Digital Health

Validated two wearable circadian rhythm measures and revealed how social distancing disrupted internal circadian synchronization.

Mobile measures of human circadian rhythms (CR) are needed in the age of chronotherapy. Two wearable measures of CR have recently been validated: one that uses heart rate to extract circadian rhythms that originate in the sinoatrial node of the heart, and another that uses activity to predict the laboratory gold standard and central circadian pacemaker marker, dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). We first find that the heart rate markers of normal

Development/Design Paper

A method for characterizing daily physiology from widely used wearables

Bowman et al. (2021) · Cell Reports Methods

Describes the research-driven development of this app

The exploding popularity of wearable devices, now a multi-billion dollar industry, provides a new opportunity for real-world data collection. Here, we propose a statistical method for analysis of ambulatory wearable-device data that can estimate circadian rhythms. Accounting for circadian rhythms in HR will allow more accurate measurement of other physiological parameters, e.g., basal HR, how activity increases HR, and changes in HR due to

In the Media

New app analyzes how social distancing affects biological clocks

University of Michigan researchers developed Social Rhythms to help users understand how COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted their sleep patterns, using algorithms that analyze data from phones and wearable devices. "During social distancing, lockdown or quarantine, many of the key signals which tell our body what time it is, such as access to outdoor light, are blocked," said U-M professor Daniel Forger. The free iOS app compares users' circadian rhythms before and after the pandemic while providing researchers with anonymized data to study health impacts.

UmichRead article