Monitoring Sleep Stages to Determine Optimal Arousal Times and to Alert an Individual to Negative States of Wakefulness

• US 20100152546A1
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Care Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Intel-GE Care Innovations, LLC (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Prendergast, David, Behan, Julie
• Granted Patent: US 8,876,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring sleep stages to determine optimal arousal times and to alert an individual to negative states of wakefulness. In an embodiment, a device receives pressure data from at least one pressure sensor, where the pressure sensor is associated with furniture used for an individual to sleep. The device uses the pressure data to determine a sleep stage for the individual. The sleep stage is used to determine whether it is an optimal arousal time for the individual. The device sends an indication to not wake the individual if it is not the optimal arousal time for the individual. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a device to receive pressure data from at least one pressure sensor, wherein the at least one pressure sensor is associated with furniture used for an individual to sleep, wherein the device to use the pressure data to determine a sleep stage for the individual, wherein the sleep stage to be used to determine whether it is an optimal arousal time for the individual, and wherein the device to send an indication to not wake the individual if it is not the optimal arousal time for the individual.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the optimal arousal time for the individual is when the sleep stage is either stage 1 or stage 2 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the furniture is a mattress and the at least one pressure sensor is placed underneath the mattress.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage includes extracting actigraphy data from the pressure data and filtering the actigraphy data to obtain respiration rates, wherein the respiration rates are used to determine the sleep stage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the device to monitor the individual to determine oversleeping and wherein the device to attempt to arouse the individual during the optimal arousal time when the individual is oversleeping.

6. A system, comprising:

a device to receive pressure data from at least one pressure sensor, wherein the at least one pressure sensor is associated with furniture used for an individual to sleep, wherein the device to use the pressure data to determine a sleep stage for the individual, wherein the sleep stage to be used to determine whether the individual is in a negative state of wakefulness when the individual wakes from sleep, wherein the device to cause a warning to the individual when the individual is in a negative state of wakefulness and is approaching a dangerous situation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the negative state of wakefulness is when the individual wakes from one of stages 3 and 4 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and REM sleep stage.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the furniture is a mattress and the at least one pressure sensor is placed underneath the mattress.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage includes extracting actigraphy data from the pressure data and filtering the actigraphy data to obtain respiration rates, wherein the respiration rates are used to determine the sleep stage.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving pressure data from at least one pressure sensor, wherein the at least one pressure sensor is associated with furniture used for an individual to sleep;

using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage for the individual;

determining whether the sleep stage is an optimal arousal time for the individual; and

sending an indication to not wake the individual if it is not the optimal arousal time for the individual.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the optimal arousal time for the individual is when the sleep stage is either stage 1 or stage 2 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the furniture is a mattress and the at least one pressure sensor is placed underneath the mattress.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage includes extracting actigraphy data from the pressure data and filtering the actigraphy data to obtain respiration rates, wherein the respiration rates are used to determine the sleep stage.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring the individual to determine oversleeping; and

attempting to arouse the individual during the optimal arousal time when the individual is oversleeping.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving pressure data from at least one pressure sensor, wherein the at least one pressure sensor is associated with furniture used for an individual to sleep;

using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage for the individual;

using the determined sleep stage to determine whether the individual is in a negative state of wakefulness when the individual wakes from sleep; and

causing a warning to the individual when the individual is in a negative state of wakefulness and is approaching a dangerous situation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the negative state of wakefulness is when the individual wakes from one of stages 3 and 4 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and REM sleep stage.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the furniture is a mattress and the at least one pressure sensor is placed underneath the mattress.

18. A machine-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving pressure data from at least one pressure sensor, wherein the at least one pressure sensor is associated with furniture used for an individual to sleep;

using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage for the individual;

determining whether the sleep stage is an optimal arousal time for the individual; and

sending an indication to not wake the individual if it is not the optimal arousal time for the individual.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the optimal arousal time for the individual is when the sleep stage is either stage 1 or stage 2 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the furniture is a mattress and the at least one pressure sensor is placed underneath the mattress.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the using the pressure data to determine a sleep stage includes extracting actigraphy data from the pressure data and filtering the actigraphy data to obtain respiration rates, wherein the respiration rates are used to determine the sleep stage.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

monitoring the individual to determine oversleeping; and

attempting to arouse the individual during the optimal arousal time when the individual is oversleeping.