A novel sleep aid device to reduce sleep latency using air-CO₂ mixed gas

Sleep is an indispensable component of human life. However, in modern times, the number of people suffering from sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep deprivation, has increased significantly. Therefore, to alleviate the discomfort to the patient due to lack of sleep, sleeping pills and various sleep aids are being introduced and used. However, sleeping drugs are prescribed only to a limited extent due to the side effects posed by them and resistance to such drugs developed by patients in the long term, and the majority of sleep aids are scientifically groundless products. This study aimed to develop a device that induced sleep by spraying a mixed gas of carbon dioxide and air to create an environment that could induce sleep, similar to the inside of a sealed vehicle, to control oxygen saturation in the body.

Based on the stipulated safety standards and the human tidal volume, the target concentration of carbon dioxide was determined to be of three types: 15,000, 20,000, and 25,000 ppm. After analyzing diverse structures for safely mixing gases, the most appropriate shape, the reserve tank, was selected as the best suited structure. Various variables, such as spraying angle and distance, flow rate, atmospheric temperature, and nozzle length, were comprehensively measured and tested. Furthermore based on this aspect, diffusion simulation of carbon dioxide concentration and actual experiments were conducted. To secure the stability and reliability of the developed product, an accredited test was performed to investigate the error rate of carbon dioxide concentration. Furthermore, clinical trials comprising polysomnography and questionnaires confirmed the effectiveness of the developed product not only in reducing sleep latency but also in enhancing the overall sleep quality.

When the developed device was put to use in reality, sleep latency was decreased by 29.01%, on average, for those with a sleep latency of 5 min or more, compared to when the device was not in use. Moreover, the total sleep time was increased by 29.19 min, WASO was decreased by 13.17%, and sleep efficiency was increased by 5.48%. We also affirmed that the ODI and 90% ODI did not decrease when the device was used. Although different questions may be raised about the safety of using a gas such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), the result that tODI was not reduced shows that sleep aids using CO₂ mixtures do not adversely affect human health.

The results of this study suggest a new method that can be used to treat sleep disorders including insomnia.