The popularity of technology sleep monitoring has grown in recent years and it is estimated that this growth will continue. Led by different devices, such as the exclusive Apple WatchThere are also applications for smartphones that must be close to the user to work, which are placed on the bed or next to it.
Beyond the capacity and sophistication of the sleep monitoringor vary, depending on the model and brand, these can record data such as heart rate, movement, body temperature and blood oxygen levels. From this data, the monitors claim to provide sleep information, such as estimates of deep sleep during the night, which reflects the overall quality of rest.
According to experts, these devices collect data using a technique called photoplethysmography (PPG). “On the back of the device, there is a small light that illuminates the blood vessels and uses the amount of light that is reflected to calculate data such as the heart rate and its variability,” explained Cathy Goldstein, clinical professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan to The New York Times.
“These devices are sometimes less accurate when collecting data from people with obesity or heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation, as well as those with darker skin tones because skin pigment can affect how light reflects off the body.” device,” the specialist warned.
On the other hand, sleep monitors that are placed under the mattress usually use the ballistocardiography, a technology that detects subtle movements caused by the pumping of the heart, movements that are linked to the different phases of sleep. But while many monitors offer data on a user’s sleep phases, such as REM sleepand deep sleep, are defined by changing patterns of brain activity, something that most devices cannot measure.
“Infer the quality of sleep and its phases from peripheral phenomena such as pulse or respiration.” has certain limitationss inherent, especially if the person is not healthy,” he said. Mathias Baumert, associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, in Australia, told the New York media.
Researchers criticize attempts by sleep trackers to add up data from all of a person’s nights to generate an overall sleep score. Both Baumert and other experts on the subject pointed out that lThe algorithms that companies use to determine these scores are business secrets. and are not supported by the scientific community. Some doctors even ask their patients to ignore these types of measurements to avoid stress.
The same specialists pointed out that one of lThe advantages of sleep monitors are their ability to capture and record long-term data in a person’s natural sleeping environment. Goldstein noted that data from these devices could also test to what extent going to bed and waking up at the same time each day positively affects their parameters, but cautioned: “Sleep cannot be reduced to a set of numbers or scores.”
by RN
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