Insomnia screening with the Home Sleep Test

Abstract

Insomnia is a widespread sleep disorder with a prevalence of 10 to 30 %. Consequential illnesses, absences from work and accidents result in considerable indirect costs. So, insomnia should be diagnosed and treated early. Polysomnography is currently the gold standard for examining sleep patterns, but it is an expensive and laborious method. Actigraphy has been suggested as an alternative to assessing sleep/wake patterns. However, actigraphy cannot provide any information about sleep stages and sleep quality. Based on a combination of actigraphy and a simplified EEG system, a wireless head-mounted sleep monitor was developed (Home Sleep Test, HST). The easy application of the sensors and data transmission via HST cloud enable the assessment of sleep behaviour in the home environment. AASM-compliant analyses and the creation of reports are possible via the cloud-based analysis software. With the HST, a cost-effective, outpatient insomnia screener is available that, with its minimal sensors, records many of the signals required for a hypnogram and can improve insomnia diagnostics.