Chest
Contemporary Reviews in Sleep MedicineSleep Tracking, Wearable Technology, and Opportunities for Research and Clinical Care
Section snippets
Clinical Modalities
Polysomnography performed in the sleep laboratory and attended by sleep technologists is the gold standard for sleep monitoring.3 Polysomnography consists of at least seven channels: six-lead electroencephalography, electrooculography, chin and bilateral anterior tibialis electromyography, snore channel, abdominal and thoracic respiratory effort, pulse oximetry, and two-lead electrocardiography. Airflow is measured through the nose and mouth for baseline studies and through the mask for
Benefits
Standardization is arguably the largest benefit of clinical modalities currently used for sleep tracking. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s practice parameters for polysomnography5 promote consistency across accredited sleep laboratories. Data integrity is easier to ensure with uniform collection methodologies. Standardized data collection and reporting facilitates quality assurance, which allows sleep laboratories to readily detect faulty equipment and make necessary updates to maintain
Benefits
Consumer self-trackers encourage personal empowerment and customization. People may engage in sleep tracking when there is personal control over lifestyle integration. Variety in personal choice for sensor location and appearance (including luxury fashions such as the Swarovski Shine32), activities supported, and features included may motivate use. If a tracker is not wearable, sleep-tracking data may be gathered through mattresses, sheets, pillows, or nightstands.
This sense of personal choice
Crowdsourcing Sleep Research
Although sleep-tracking technologies may not be accurate enough for clinical purposes, they retain potential utility for the profession. Use of sleep trackers for crowdsourcing to examine difficult or cumbersome research questions holds promise.40 Crowdsourcing and citizen science are old ideas with relatively new names, with the potential to answer questions previously unanswerable, fund research otherwise unfundable through traditional channels, and reduce delays in adoption and
Integration Into Clinical Practice
Patient use of consumer sleep-tracking technologies provides opportunities to increase interest and engagement in their own treatment. Increased patient enthusiasm can allow clinicians to work together with patients to develop achievable patient-centered treatment goals. Patients with insomnia have had greater reduction in self-reported sleep-related symptoms when a patient-maintained sleep diary is coupled with actigraphy data (effect size, 0.79-1.25) vs isolated verbal feedback on the sleep
Conclusions
Growing use of consumer sleep-tracking technologies brings opportunities for collaboration among patients, clinical providers, and researchers to improve individual and population health outcomes. However, key questions are as yet unanswered. Will possible FDA oversight influence widespread use of consumer sleep-tracking technologies? How will individual data be protected? The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 199657 and the Health Information Technology for Economic and
Acknowledgments
Financial/nonfinancial disclosures: None declared.
References (58)
- et al.
Portable monitoring for the diagnosis of OSA
Chest
(2016) - et al.
Wrist actigraphy
Chest
(2011) - et al.
Use of actigraphy for assessment in pediatric sleep research
Sleep Med Rev
(2012) - et al.
Obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions and insomnia: the mediating role of anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns
Psychiatry Res
(2015) The dream maker: my app shaped their slumbers
New Scientist
(2014)- et al.
Functional recovery in the elderly after major surgery: assessment of mobility recovery using wireless technology
ann Thorac Surg
(2013) - Plato. The Apology, Phædo and Crito of Plato. In: Jowett B, trans. The Harvard Classics, Vol II, Part 1. New York, NY:...
- Cellini B. LII. Autobiography. In: Symonds JA, trans. The Harvard Classics, Vol XXXI. New York, NY: P.F. Collier & Son,...
- et al.
Comparison of sleep parameters from actigraphy and polysomnography in older women: the SOF study
Sleep
(2008) - et al.
The AASM manual for the scoring of sleep and associated events: rules, terminology and technical specifications, version 2.2
(2015)