Novel unobtrusive approach for sleep monitoring using fiber optics in an ambient assisted living platform

Abstract

Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s health and well-being. Unfortunately, most people suffering from sleep disorders remain without diagnosis and treatment since the current sleep assessment systems are cumbersome and expensive. As a result, there is an increasing demand for cheaper and more affordable sleep monitoring systems in real-life environments. In this paper, we propose a novel non-intrusive system for sleep quality monitoring using a microbend fiber optic mat placed under the bed mattress. The sleep quality is assessed based on different parameters. Moreover, the sensor has been integrated into an existing Ambient Assisted Living framework to be validated in real scenarios. Three senior female residents participated in our study and the sleep data was collected over a one-month period in a home-living situation. The proposed system shows accurate and consistent results with a survey collected from each participant showing their sleep patterns and other in-home activities.