NXT_SLEEP - Next generation sleep monitoring platform

From 01-01-2013 to 31-12-2014
Website: http://www.iminds.be/en/research/overview-projects/p/detail/nxt_sleep

Description

"If sleep doesn't serve an absolutely vital function, then it is the greatest mistake the evolutionary process ever made" (Professor Emeritus Dr. Allan Rechtschaffen, University of Chicago)

We all spend 1/3 of our lives in bed and sufficient hours of good quality sleep in a regular daily rhythm is essential for our mental and physical well-being. Nevertheless, a significant part of the Belgian population experiences regular difficulties in sleeping, impacting their ability to socially interact, the quality of their work and proper judgement. We focus in this project on sleep-related breathing disorders, characterized by disruptions of normal breathing patterns that only occur during sleep such as snoring and sleep apnea, as they are recognized as major risk factors for mortality due to their effect on the cardiovascular system. The prevalence is around 4% in men and 2% in women.

Currently, these sleeping disorders are diagnosed using polysomnography (PSG), which is a sleep test that monitors different physiological signals such as heart rate, respiration, EEG, muscle tone and eye movement. This type of test needs to be performed in a sleep laboratory, under the supervision of an expert who attaches several electrodes to the patient. Although PSG is an important diagnostic tool for sleep medicine, it is an uncomfortable and costly procedure, especially when multiple nights of observation are required.

NXT_SLEEP will focus on the development of a next generation sleep monitoring platform that is less obtrusive and therefore more comfortable than the traditional polysomnography, allowing recordings for more than one night in a home environment, and using new sensors that deliver complete and useful information regarding the physiological parameters relevant for sleep-related breathing disorders. 

Team

• Karin Slegers, Co-promoter (External)
• Paul Six, Co-promoter (External)
• Hans Druyts, Co-promoter (External)
• Romano Hoofman, Co-promoter (External)
• Steven Vandeput, Co-promoter
• Peter Vanvooren, Co-promoter (External)
• Rik Ryckbosch, Co-promoter (External)
• Olivier Braet, Co-promoter (External)
• Wilfried De Backer, Co-promoter (External)
• Sabine Van Huffel, Promoter

Financing

Funding: iMinds - Flanders' digital research center and incubator

Program/Grant Type: ICON - iMinds ICON