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Updated: Oct 10, 2025

Noninvasive, High-throughput Determination of Sleep Duration in Rodents
Published on: April 18, 2018
The overlooked vital sign: The importance of measuring sleep in drug development studies
Marie McCarthy1, Patricia Murphy2, Russell Rosenberg3
1ICON Clinical Research Plc, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract:
Sleep is rarely considered in drug development studies. Pre-existing sleep problems or changes in sleep parameters in response to therapeutics have the potential to diminish the true utility of the agent under development. Sleep is integral to human health and affects virtually every disease. We present evidence that indicates how sleep quality and quantity can be predictive of disease risk, progression, remission, and recurrence. Supporting the premise that we should conceptualize sleep as a 'vital sign' and measure sleep as an integral component in drug development. We highlight the emergence of digital health technologies that have enabled the capture of this 'vital sign' and ask the question: why is sleep still largely ignored in drug development studies?
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