Sleep

Note: Updated on April 11, 2022. See end of this text for details.

Datenspende 2.0 is finally here. Since mid-October you can answer short questionnaires in the app to help us to substantially improve our understanding of the donated vital data in relation to COVID-19. More than 12,000 people have already taken part and entrusted us with this information. For this we would like to express a heartfelt thank you right away.

This weekend it’s that time again: The clocks will be changed back one hour, from daylight saving time to standard time.

Since the beginning of the Corona Data Donation, this is the third clock change. Whether these changeovers are useful, unnecessary or even harmful is widely debated - both in terms of personal preference and public health. After all, numerous studies have shown that in the short term, the changeover can disturb one’s routines and well-being. In the long term, the changes influence when and how much sunlight we get in our daily lives. This can have a variety of effects on our bodies and psyche, in part mediated by changes in our sleep.

Dear donors, When this project started in April 2020, we did not expect hundreds of thousands of people to donate their health data for more than a year - your participation and continued willingness to support this project has exceeded our boldest dreams. To live up to the trust you’ve placed in us, we continue to adapt the project to best serve public health needs throughout the ongoing pandemic by exploring new use cases as they become relevant depending on the current situation. Right now, most of the team is busily working on a new version of the Datenspende app that will allow more direct interaction between the team and you.

Around a quarter of you donates not only their daily heart rate and steps but also their sleep data, particularly how long and when you sleep. Since sleep provides a wealth of information on health and well-being, we are now taking a closer look at these data - enlisting also the expertise of sleep researchers.