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ZDNET Highlights
- A team of researchers has developed a new sleep study app.
- The app was developed using AI and Apple Watch Series 6.
- BIDSleep aims to monitor sleep disorders without a sleep study.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are turning the Apple Watch into an advanced sleep stage monitoring device.
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It was developed by Professor Joita Dutta and her team at the Biomedical Imaging and Data Science Lab. bid sleepAn app that collects data to study sleep and may serve as an alternative to the expensive and complex equipment and protocols associated with the gold standard of sleep studies. BIDSleep uses an Apple Watch, which Dutta says the team incorporated for its accessibility.
Dutta said he envisions researchers eventually using the app to monitor people with sleep disorders outside the laboratory.
the study The app was tested with 47 adults who wore an Apple Watch Series 6 and a Dream 2 headband over seven nights for sleep monitoring and stage assessment.
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As a person progresses through the sleep stages, the BIDSleep app collects instantaneous heart rate data and feeds it into the researchers’ AI model. In this study, the results mirrored EEG-based sleep staging – the gold standard – and accurately identified the correct sleep stage about 70% of the time. According to the blog post, the AI model outperformed other sleep stage prediction approaches in the research community.
The team did not use the native sleep tracking capabilities of the Apple Watch Series 6, but they plan to compare those features to the BIDSleep app’s own capabilities in the future. Dutta says his and his team’s app will be more accurate because of its rich data aggregation.
wearable devices for research
Health-related wearable technology, such as Apple Watches, smart rings like Ora, and more, are constantly being used in scientific research to develop tools to monitor or address health conditions. These devices, which are loaded with heart sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and light sensors, can capture a wide range of biomarkers. They are useful for both consumers tracking their health and researchers looking for the next health innovation.
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Sleep studies are often expensive and complicated for people with sleep disorders. The gold standard is conducted in a laboratory, and at-home evaluation requires people to wear electrodes on their heads while sleeping. Needless to mention, sleep monitoring through this process is limited to one night and short sleep periods like naps are rarely taken into account.
Compare this to the Apple Watch, which constantly monitors sleep activity – whether it’s a nap or a full night’s sleep – and is comfortable and discreet around the wrist.
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“The wide availability of smartwatches and the ability to be worn around the clock make them particularly suitable for studying all types of sleep,” the researchers wrote in an article. blog post,
