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Comparison of sleep biomechanics between children with cerebral palsy and their typically developing peers using
Nicholas Buckley1, Paul Davey1, Kevin Baptist2
1Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Insights
Wearable sensors effectively measured sleep biomechanics in children. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) and severe motor impairment showed significantly fewer sleep repositioning movements, potentially impacting body shape.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pediatric Sleep Science
- Rehabilitation Technology
Background:
- Sleep biomechanics are crucial for development and well-being.
- Children with cerebral palsy (CP) may experience altered sleep patterns due to motor impairments.
- Assessing sleep biomechanics in children, especially those with CP, presents unique challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of using wearable sensors for measuring sleep biomechanics in typically developing (TD) children and children with CP.
- To compare sleep biomechanics, specifically repositioning frequency, between TD children and children with CP categorized by motor function (GMFCS levels).
Main Methods:
- Nineteen TD children and eleven children with CP (aged 5-18 years) participated.
- Participants wore wearable sensors for five nights to record sleep biomechanics.
- The Body Orientation During Sleep Framework was used to analyze body rotation and repositioning frequency.
Main Results:
- Wearable sensors demonstrated high feasibility and user satisfaction (>80%) in children.
- No significant differences in sleep biomechanics were found between TD children and those with CP in GMFCS levels I-II.
- Children with CP in GMFCS levels IV-V exhibited significantly lower repositioning rates per hour compared to TD children (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Children with CP and higher gross motor impairment demonstrate reduced sleep repositioning.
- Reduced repositioning may contribute to the development of Body Shape Distortion in children with CP.
- Wearable sensors offer a promising, low-cost method for long-term monitoring of sleep biomechanics and repositioning in children.
Aim:
Examine the feasibility of wearable sensors to measure sleep biomechanics in typically developing (TD) children and children with cerebral palsy (CP) and compare sleep biomechanics between each group.
Materials And Methods:
Eleven children with CP (4 male, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) I-II: n = 7, GMFCS IV-V: n = 4), and 19 TD children (11 male) aged 5-18 yrs wore sensors during sleep for five nights. Body rotation was coded using the Body Orientation During Sleep Framework to measure repositioning profiles. Feasibility (e.g. comfort, reliability) was assessed against endpoints, and mixed models compared sleep biomechanics across TD, CP-GMFCS I-II, and CP-GMFCS IV-V groups.
Results:
Wearable sensors were well tolerated (>80 % satisfaction). There were no significant differences between TD and GMFCS I-II profiles. The GMFCS IV-V group demonstrated significantly (p < 0.001) fewer repositionings per hour than the TD group (TD: mean 2.72 ± 0.38, CP-GMFCS I-II: 2.7 ± 0.65, GMFCS IV-V: 0.46 ± 0.61).
Interpretation:
Children with CP with higher gross motor impairment had reduced rates of repositioning in sleep. This has been proposed as contributing to the development of Body Shape Distortion; more research is needed. Sleep biomechanics recorded using wearable sensors could provide a low-cost approach to the long-term measurement and monitoring of repositioning during sleep.
