Mechanical Coupling Between Body And Bed For Estimating Sleep-Related Biomarkers: A Feasibility Study

Monitoring physiological parameters like respiratory rate (RR) is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related disorders. Combined with posture analysis, this approach can enable timely intervention to minimize their health consequences. Given the limitations of the polysomnography (PSG) in terms of comfort, cost, and practicality and the measurement errors associated with wearable devices, the present study explores the application of a nearable technology for sleep monitoring. In this study, we focus on the use of four tri-axial magneto-inertial measurement units (M-IMUs) coupled between the bed and the human body to capture both respiratory rate (RR) and behavioral biomarkers such as resting or posture change events. Data collected from four healthy volunteers over a whole night in a home environment were analyzed to assess the performance of the proposed system. Results obtained show a maximum Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 5.52% and an accuracy of 99.5% to discriminate the posture change and the resting state. The results indicate the potential of the proposed technology in this scenario. This study underscores the possibility of integrating M-IMUs as a viable solution for enhancing sleep quality assessment and paves the way for future research in the field of sleep health technology.