Sleepi: Aplicación móvil gamificada para promover hábitos saludables de sueño en universitarios

Abstract

This research presents Sleepi, a gamified mobile application designed to promote healthy sleep habits among university students in Quito, Ecuador. The app uses a virtual tamagotchi-style character that reflects the user's sleeping behavior through emotional and visual feedback. Users can manually or automatically record their sleep hours and pre-sleep habits (such as caffeine intake, screen use, or heavy meals), which influence the character’s well-being and emotional state. Unlike traditional wellness apps like Calm or Sleep Cycle, Sleepi integrates game mechanics, weekly challenges, motivational messages, and a pointbased system to maintain user engagement without penalization. The app aims to address the increasing prevalence of sleep deprivation in young people, a problem associated with poor academic performance, emotional instability, and long-term health risks, as highlighted by the World Health Organization and sleep researcher Matthew Walker (2018). Developed using Flutter and Firebase, Sleepi offers an accessible and emotionally engaging digital solution tailored to the needs and preferences of students. It transforms rest into a rewarding and playful experience, promoting sustainable sleep routines through empathy and gamification.