Monitoring and control of sleep cycles

• US 20070287930A1
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William Sutton
• Original Assignee: William Sutton
• Inventors: Sutton, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,608,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0083 especially for waking up
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient

Abstract

A system is provided including: a monitor for monitoring a user'"'"'s sleep cycles; a processor which counts the sleep cycles to provide a sleep cycle count and which selects an awakening time according to a decision algorithm including the sleep cycle count as an input; and an alarm for awakening the user at the awakening time. Use of the sleep cycle count as an input to the decision algorithm advantageously enables a user to more fully control and optimize his or her personal sleeping behavior.

Claims

1. A method for awakening a user from sleep, the method comprising:

a) monitoring sleep cycles of said user;

b) counting said sleep cycles to provide a sleep cycle count;

c) inputting one or more sleep cycle counts to a decision algorithm;

d) inputting historical user data to the algorithm;

e) selecting a time according to a decision algorithm using said historical user data and sleep cycle count as an input to said algorithm; and

f) awakening said user at said selected time.

2. The method of claim 1, providing event priority data for a following day as an input to said decision algorithm.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a schedule to said user after said awakening based on said event priority data and on said selected time.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising absolute time requirements and optional time requirements as event priority data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising user historical data as an input to said decision algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising preferences of said user as an input to said decision algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising information on future travel of said user to a different time zone as an input to said decision algorithm.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising a nominal awakening time adjusted from day to day prior to said travel.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a nominal awakening time as an input to said decision algorithm.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying said sleep cycles.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising altering one or more environmental conditions comprising ambient temperature, ambient light level and ambient sound level to modify said sleep cycles.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an indication as to whether or not sufficient rest was obtained.

13. A system for awakening a user from sleep, the system comprising:

a) a monitor for monitoring sleep cycles of said user;

b) a historical user data base;

c) a processor for counting said sleep cycles responsive to input from said monitor to provide a sleep cycle count and input from the user historical data base for comparing and selecting a time according to a decision algorithm including said sleep cycle count and historical data as an input; and

c) an alarm for awakening said user at said selected time.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising event priority data for a following day as an input to said decision algorithm.

15. The system of claim 14, having said processor provide at least one schedule to said user after said awakening based on said event priority data and on said selected time.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising absolute and optional time requirements as priority data inputs.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a modifier for adjusting said sleep cycles.

18. The system of claim 17, said modifier further comprising one or more devices for controlling ambient temperature, ambient light level or ambient sound level.

19. A method for regulating sleep cycles of a human comprising:

a) collecting the human'"'"'s biological data;

b) analyzing the human'"'"'s biological data to determine historical sleep cycles;

c) measuring current sleep cycles;

d) calculating an optimal awakening time based on historical and current sleep cycles; and

f) awakening the human to maximize sleep cycles.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising adjusting the awakening for external events.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising adjusting the awakening in response to the human'"'"'s historical sleep data to predict optimal awakening time.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising adjusting the human'"'"'s environment while sleeping based on historical and current sleep cycle input and historical biological data.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising adjusting the awakening to accommodate scheduled events.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising using selected stimulus to awaken.

25. A method for regulating sleep cycles of a human comprising:

collecting the human'"'"'s historical and current biological data;

analyzing the human'"'"'s biological data to determine sleep cycles;

determining awakening using an algorithm to collect and measure biological data and external events to predict desired sleep patterns; and

awakening the human to maximize sleep cycles.

26. A method for awakening a user from sleep, the method comprising:

a recursive analytical algorithm;

providing historical user sleep cycles;

providing event priority data for a following day as an input to the algorithm;

monitoring sleep cycles of said user;

counting said sleep cycles to provide a sleep cycle count;

selecting an optimal awakening time according to a decision algorithm including said historical and current sleep cycle count as an input;

predicting an optimal awakening time based on output from the algorithm; and

awakening said user at said selected time.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising a schedule to the user on awakening of event priority.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising information on future travel of said user to a different time zone as an input to said decision algorithm.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising a nominal awakening time adjusted from day to day prior to travel.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising providing an indication as to whether or not sufficient rest was obtained.

31. The method of claim 26 further comprising adjusting the ambient sleep conditions of the user in response to output from the algorithm.

32. A system predicting optimum awakening time, comprising:

an algorithm using recursive analytics;

a data base of historic user sleep cycles and correlated biologic functions;

input of event priority data to the algorithm for a post sleep cycle;

a monitor for current sleep cycles and biologic functions of the user;

a data collector for measuring said sleep cycles and collecting biologic data responsive to input from said monitor and providing data to the algorithm;

optimization of the predicted awakening time based on recursive analysis of current and historic sleep cycles and biologic data by the recursive analytics; and

an alarm for awakening said user at said selected time.

33. The system of claim 32, said system providing at least one schedule to the user after awakening based on said event priority data and on the selected time.

34. The system of claim 32 further comprising adjusting the ambient sleep condition of the user in response to output from the algorithm.