Hydrogel-Based Mechanical Sensors for Sleep Respiratory Monitoring: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Sleep respiratory monitoring plays a crucial role in the early diagnosis and health management of sleep-related respiratory disorders. However, conventional monitoring devices often suffer from some critical issues, such as poor wearing comfort and insufficient capability for long-term continuous monitoring, hindering their applications in non-invasive and prolonged sleep monitoring. In recent years, hydrogel-based mechanical sensors have attracted increasing attention for sleep respiratory monitoring owing to their outstanding flexibility, biocompatibility, mechanical compatibility with biological tissues, and excellent sensing performance, demonstrating great potential for practical applications. A comprehensive overview of recent advances in hydrogel-based mechanical sensors for sleep-related respiratory monitoring is provided in this review. The sensing mechanisms, materials, fabrication strategies, and representative applications are systematically summarized, with particular emphasis on the key factors governing sensor performance and their translation toward practical use. Furthermore, current challenges and corresponding optimization strategies are discussed. This review aims to provide valuable insights into the rational design and optimization of high-performance hydrogel-based mechanical sensors, and important strategies for the further development of advanced technologies for sleep-related respiratory monitoring.