Method and system for sleep/wake condition estimation

Abstract

Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disturbance in the general population. As standard diagnostic method for assessing the nature and the severity of the sleep problem, a so-called sleep log or sleep diary, i.e. a questionnaire usually on paper, is used in most cases. The main drawback of this diagnostic tool is that its accuracy is affected by subjective bias of the patient, e.g. for patients it is often difficult to remember sleep and wake periods during the night correctly. The present invention proposes an automatic sleep log that uses vital body signs as input signals for assessing sleep and wake periods during the night. By using objective data, the diagnosis will be more accurate. Furthermore, this system can also be used to sleep restriction therapy, a non- pharmacological method to treat insomnia. Also in this application it can contribute to patients correctly applying this method and thus leading to a better medical outcome.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to the field of multiparametric analysis of patient signals, and more particularly to the field of sleep and wakefulness stage detection and sleep efficiency estimation, ie the ratio of total sleep time to total bed time. Background technique [0002] Sleep disturbances are common. At least 10% of the population suffers from sleep disturbances that are clinically significant and of public health importance. Insomnia is by far the most common form of sleep disorder. [0003] Most definitions of insomnia include a description of sleep-specific symptoms with associated daytime physical discomfort. Sleep symptoms often include difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, eventual waking that occurs much earlier than expected, or sleep that is not restorative or generally of poor quality. Waking symptoms are associated with daytime physical distress involving fatigue, lethargy, mood disturbance, cognitive difficulti...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0006] The main disadvantage of this sleep diary is that its accuracy is affected by the subjective bias of the patient, for example, it is often difficult for the patient to recall correctly the sleep and wake periods during the night

In addition, there is a problem that during the break time, the cable or the electrode may not be connected firmly, which reduces the quality of the received signal

[0008] Diagnosis of insomnia using automated sleep diaries in fully equipped sleep laboratories is expensive, and capacity, location is not available over long durations, and thus the ability to diagnose patients with insomnia is limited

[0009] Further, additional sensors and wiring along the patient (body) may interfere with the patient's sleep and thus affect the assessment of sleep and wake phases during the night, which leads to an impact on the sleep record and potentially leads to misdiagnosis

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