The following document governs your use of the ‘SleepFix’ mobile application and its associated domains and functions which is owned and operated by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research (ABN 88 002 198 905; “We”, “the Woolcock”). By downloading SleepFix or using any of the domains or functions, you accept and consent to all of the following terms outlined in the following Terms of Use and Privacy Policy document. Please review the following details before using the service.
A note of exception to this policy document
Please note that in cases where SleepFix and its associated domains and functions are being provided to a user for clinical research and/or studies, as determined by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, the study policies and terms always take precedence over those outlined in this document.
Terms of Use
What is SleepFix?
SleepFix is a self-help sleep therapy delivered by a smartphone application for individuals with insomnia and sleeping difficulties. The app uses an evidence-based behavioral therapy (brief behavioural therapy for insomnia) and was developed by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and health professionals. It works by providing sleep schedules to individuals to gradually spend more time in bed asleep rather than awake in bed.
SleepFix self-guides the user through a new sleep schedule which aims to reduce excessive time in bed awake. Users complete a daily sleep diary which takes approximately 5 minutes per day to monitor the new sleep schedule and help retrain the users sleep. It is recommended that SleepFix users will use the program for 6 weeks to ensure any results are maintained, although the program can be completed in 3 weeks.
SleepFix is best used alone and not in conjunction with other sleep treatments such as medications or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as they may affect the efficacy of the SleepFix program.
How does SleepFix help people with insomnia or poor sleep?
SleepFix is for adults with poor sleep who simply want to build good sleep health. It is a self-help program with the objective of sleep education. It is not intended to diagnose or treat insomnia, or otherwise replace any medical advice or guidance by a qualified healthcare professional.
At present, SleepFix has been created for anyone who:
- would like to build better sleep health AND
- is at least 18 years of age AND
- can read and understand English AND
- has access to a smartphone
By using SleepFix and the associated services, you agree that you fulfil the above target audience criteria.
How is SleepFix delivered?
SleepFix is a mobile application available on both iOS and Android smartphones that can be downloaded from the device’s participating app store with a valid app store account. The application requires an internet connection for access to the app features.
The following device specifications are required for the current version of SleepFix:
- A smartphone (using iOS 11 or later, or Android 10 or later)
- a stable internet connection or mobile data
Please note that SleepFix is not optimised for tablet devices.
Access
SleepFix is made available to download to users with an internet-connected smartphone device, and an access code that is provided to users as research participants of the University of Sydney and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research reserves the right to change the method of access to the app in the future.
Funding
The SleepFix mobile app is offered by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, which is an independent not-for-profit research organization in affiliation with the University of Sydney. The mobile application was developed with funding from the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Alertness Safety and Productivity.
Health care professionals’ involvement
While a multidisciplinary team of health professionals designed and developed the SleepFix mobile application, SleepFix is available as a self-guided program only and sleep health professionals will not be involved with the individual delivery of the program.
SleepFix was created by a research team of academics and clinicians who are experts in sleep. The research team consists of:
Associate Professor Christopher Gordon (PhD)
Associate Professor Delwyn Bartlett (PhD)
Professor Ron Grunstein (MD, PhD)
Professor Nick Glozier (MBBS, PhD)
Professor Rafa Calvo (PhD)
Dorian Peters (MMDes)
Dr Melissa Aji (PhD)
Marlon Santos [Programmer]
Sleep and medical health researchers will continue to be involved in the app's safety and quality assurance processes.
Clinical Efficacy
The delivery of digital brief behavioural therapy via the Sleepfix app has been tested, including in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and multiple user interviews to demonstrate its safety, efficacy and effectiveness in improving the symptoms of sleep disturbance and insomnia in people with insomnia.
If you would like to read more about the research development of Sleepfix, previously published studies are available. See:
- Melissa Aji, Nick Glozier, Delwyn J. Bartlett, Ronald R. Grunstein, Rafael A. Calvo, Nathaniel S. Marshall, David P. White & Christopher Gordon (2021) The Effectiveness of Digital Insomnia Treatment with Adjunctive Wearable Technology: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Behavioral Sleep Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/15402002.2021.1967157
- Aji, M., Glozier, N., Bartlett, D., Peters, D.Calvo, R., Zheng, Y., Grunstein, R.R., Gordon, C.J. (2020). A feasibility study of a mobile app to treat insomnia, Translational Behavioural Medicine, pii: ibaa019. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibaa019
Safety
The SleepFix program, while personalized, should not be considered personal health advice given that it does not take into account your entire sleep health or broader medical circumstances. We encourage all users of SleepFix to seek advice from a qualified health professional if they are worried about their sleep health. Health advice from a medical health professional should take precedence over SleepFix.
If you have any questions regarding the effect on sleep, please consult your health professional.
Research indicates that the most common side effect of the brief behavioural therapy for insomnia that the SleepFix app program presents is increased daytime fatigue and sleepiness, especially during the onset of the program. This has been reported to improve after two weeks and further improves following completion of the therapy. Please contact the SleepFix team if you would like more information.
IP rights
SleepFix is owned and protected under copyright and trademark laws as the intellectual property of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and its collaborators. All content, graphics and material may not be repurposed without permission.
SleepFix has been created for individual use and research purposes only and must not be redistributed for any other purpose unless explicitly determined by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
External links and third parties
SleepFix has been optimised for some data from third-party software (i.e., Fitbit wearable integration). It is your choice to activate and use this software integration. By using these services, you are governed by the terms and conditions of that Third-party. The Woolcock Institute makes no claim or warranty and takes no responsibility in relation to the correctness of the information supplied by the third-party.
Disclaimers and limitation of liability
SleepFix is made available to individuals through “as is” and “as available” access only, which means in its current form and for as long as the service is available. There are no warranties or guarantees with the SleepFix app or program and users accept liability for any damages or risks that may result from the use of SleepFix. By using this application, the user acknowledges and consents that the owner of the SleepFix app, the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, does not accept responsibilities or liabilities that may arise from use of the app. The risk to users is accepted by the individual and they are solely responsible for choosing weather to follow the advice or self-help items in the SleepFix app.
Functionality
The Woolcock has made a reasonable effort to ensure the functionality of SleepFix is as smooth as practically achievable. The Woolcock will endeavor to support the system staying operational. However, we make no claim that the app is error and bug free or works with every device type. Where errors are discovered within the app environment, the Woolcock will make an effort to solve issues to a reasonable extent. We may make changes to SleepFix at any time and will not be responsible for any interruptions to functions and features of the system which may result. Continued support of the app is not guaranteed by the Woolcock Institute.
Availability
Presently, SleepFix’s main features and functions is available to research participants of the Woolcock Institute and it’s collaborators with an access code. We do not guarantee access to the app for individuals outside this category.
By using the SleepFix app and its associated services, you are agreeing to indemnify and hold the Woolcock Institute harmless from any demands that may result from your use of the app or breach of any terms in this policy document.
Privacy Policy
General Statement
The following privacy policy applies to all users of the SleepFix mobile application and its associated products and services. The policy outlines how the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and the team behind the SleepFix app will obtain and use individual's personal information. Also included in this document is information about how individuals can access their own personal data and request removal of this information from our server.
Any data or information obtained by the SleepFix products are governed by the state of New South Wales Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1988.
Note: the collected data and data handling requirements may be different for users of SleepFix who are enrolled in a research study with the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research or in collaboration with the University of Sydney.
What information is collected about SleepFix users?
Data and personal information are collected by the SleepFix app and its products for the purpose of providing you with a personalized sleep improvement program and support the delivery of that program to you. By using the app and its associated services, you are agreeing to the SleepFix team collecting and processing your data in line with the present privacy policy. This consent can be withdrawn by contacting us using the contact information provided at the end of this document.
Personal Information
The SleepFix App onboarding collects personal information for the purpose of creating an account with SleepFix and personalize the course and communication with you. This includes your name and email address.
App usage data
While using the app, the information about your sleep that you choose to provide will be collected to deliver the SleepFix self-help sleep program efficiently. Users are required to provide inputs to sleep efficiency, quality and sleep-wake parameters including the time you went to and spent in bed vs the time you spent asleep and woke up, along with the number of awakenings per night. Also collected is information about your mood and physical wellbeing each day and how they may have affected your sleep.
This non-identifiable data may be pooled in a dataset that may be included in our research and/or further product development. If so, this data is in no way personally identifiable.
Technological identifiers
Some information about your device may be collected to provide you with an experience that is tailored to your devices needs or used to aid in communication and/or problem solving.
Fitbit data
The SleepFix app has been optimized with a third-party smartwatch integration. At present, this integration is limited to Fitbit wearable devices with sleep-tracking capability. The objective sensor data is collected by the SleepFix app to complete the sleep diary and calculate the sleep window. Fitbit has no access to data generated by the SleepFix app.
As you are required to download the Fitbit mobile application to allow synching of sleep tracking data with the SleepFix app, you will be subject to Fitbit's data sharing and privacy policy (this can be found at: https://www.fitbit.com/global/au/legal/privacy-policy).
Who will have access to user data?
Your app data is only accessible to authorised SleepFix team members who may need to contact you to assist with app usage.
Your personal data will not be shared at any time with anyone outside the SleepFix development team and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, unless:
- In a case where we suspect unlawful activity
- We are required to by law
Permission to use your data
Pooled, de-identifiable data may be shared with collaborators and other external parties to assist with the SleepFix app progress, maintenance and/or development. It may also be shared with collaborators, ethics boards and government regulation agencies (such as the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration) for medical research purposes. Your de-identified data may be shared with other local or international collaborators and used for future research purposes; however, Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval will be sought prior to any future use of the data.
All research completed by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research using SleepFix data undergoes approval by an external Human Research Ethics Committee. There are specific terms and conditions by this committee that regulate the research including the Australian code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2007) as set out by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Participants who are using SleepFix as a part of a research study will be provided with further information detailing the handling of their personal information.
Where is user information stored?
The SleepFix app data is encrypted onto a mobile application web server hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Sydney, NSW, using the highest level of encryption available for web browsers (256-bit Secure-Socket Layer). To see more about the AWS hosting services and their security measures, please see (https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-resources/).
Can a SleepFix user review and/or delete their personal data?
A SleepFix user can access and download the data that has been generated by them at any time in the app settings. The download occurs as a CSV file.
If a user would like to delete all personal data from the SleepFix servers, they can simply contact the SleepFix team using the details provided below with the request.
Contact
If you have any further questions or require further information, you can contact the SleepFix team at:
Note: this is the most direct contact information for all inquiries. This includes all requests for access to personal information or obtaining policy documents.