Researchers Offer Jet Lag Advice In Return For Data About Your Sleep

Companies like Google and Fitbit gather all kinds of data on how people behave. Why couldn’t scientists use an app to do the same thing?

Two years ago, mathematicians at the University of Michigan released an app called Entrain to help people get over jet lag. Users entered data on their time zone, when they sleep, what kind of light they’re exposed to, and the app gives them an ideal schedule to recover.

If app users consent, the data get sent back to the researchers. The trade-off — accurate data for useful jet lag advice — motivates people to send in accurate data, says Olivia Walch, a doctoral candidate working on the project. “It’s the path forward for academics,” she says.