Mobile based study links insomnia and sympathovagal balance

Insomnia is a high prevalence sleep disorder. Current theories point towards the role of cognitive and physiological hyperarousal in the pathophysiology of Insomnia. Our aim was to investigate the potential application of autonomic nervous system viewed through the prism of heart rate variability for understanding and assessing insomnia. Inter beat intervals were recorded using a mobile app, SleepRate, and an off-the-shelf sport belt. 98 users who participated in a sleep assessment and therapy program were labeled by the app as insomniacs (IN). They were compared to 250 users who just monitored their sleep. Heart-rate variability analysis was performed for each night. Mean heart-rate in IN was significantly higher than in reference group (RG). Sympathovagal balance values for each of the different sleep stages and for the period prior to sleep onset were significantly higher in IN compared to the RG. Mobile technology enabled very large scale, measurement of physiological signals. The findings indicate an increased sympathetic predominance in IN. This is consistent with recent theories linking physiological hyperarousal and insomnia. The autonomic approach to sleep evaluation may be a useful alternative to the gold standard whole-night PSG for poor sleepers.