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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
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Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
An accelerometer-based device for sleep apnea screening
Daniel Sánchez Morillo1, Juan Luis Rojas Ojeda, Luis Felipe Crespo Foix
1Biomedical Engineering and Telemedicine Researching Group, University of Cádiz, Cádiz 11003, Spain. daniel.morillo@uca.es
Summary
This study shows a new wearable sensor can detect sleep apnea by analyzing body vibrations. This simple, cost-effective device aids in screening for sleep-related breathing disorders.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Devices
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Sleep apnea diagnosis often relies on complex and costly polysomnography.
- There is a need for accessible, non-invasive screening tools for sleep-related breathing disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a body-fixed-sensor approach for assessing potential sleep apnea patients.
- To evaluate the feasibility of using accelerometry for sleep apnea screening.
Main Methods:
- Vibration sounds were captured using an accelerometer sensor placed on the suprasternal notch.
- Digital signal processing extracted respiratory, cardiac, and snoring components.
- Calculated parameters included heart rate, heart rate variability, autonomic activity, respiratory rate, snoring rate, and indirect airflow quantification.
Main Results:
- The accelerometry-based method successfully extracted key biomedical parameters.
- Results showed feasibility for screening sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.
- Compared favorably to polysomnography and microphone-based methods.
Conclusions:
- An accelerometry-based portable device offers a simple and cost-effective solution for sleep apnea screening.
- This approach can contribute to the early detection of sleep-related breathing disorders.
- Further validation in larger cohorts is warranted.
