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What is segmented sleep? Actigraphy field validation for daytime sleep and nighttime wake
David R Samson1, Gandhi M Yetish2, Alyssa N Crittenden3
1Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Sleep Health
|October 27, 2017
Summary
Actigraphy software effectively detects naps and wake bouts using specific parameter settings. This validation is crucial for sleep research in diverse, non-laboratory environments.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Science
- Wearable Technology
- Anthropology
Background:
- Actigraphy is a valuable tool for sleep research outside laboratory settings.
- Validating analytical techniques in actigraphy software is essential for accurate sleep inference.
- Understanding sleep patterns in non-industrial populations provides unique insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare different scoring parameter settings in actigraphy software.
- To validate analytical techniques for inferring sleep and wake bouts in real-world environments.
- To identify optimal parameters for detecting naps and wake bouts.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 137 days with reported naps versus 30 control days.
- Subsample analysis of women reporting nighttime wake bouts during nursing.
- Utilized Bland-Altman technique to assess concordance between reported events and actigraphy data.
- Tested six parameter settings for wake bout detection and one for nap detection.
Main Results:
- A single parameter setting reliably detected reported naps (15-minute length, ≤50 counts).
- A specific setting for wake bouts (20 consecutive minutes) showed no over/underestimation and minimal difference from reported events.
- This parameter setting demonstrated high accuracy in identifying wake bouts during sleep periods.
Conclusions:
- Actigraphy is an effective method for detecting segmented sleep in diverse populations.
- Proposed operational definitions for multiple dimensions of segmented sleep.
- Findings support the use of actigraphy for comparative sleep research in naturalistic settings.
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