Diagnostik in der Schlafmedizin

New Paths in Respiratory Sleep Medicine: Consumer Devices, e-Health, and Digital Health Measurements

Sleep health and tracking sleep with contemporary wearables have become more popular. Sleep disorders, in particular, sleep-disordered breathing, have a higher prevalence than estimated previously. Many patients with apnea and hypopnea events suffer whereas others do not report complaints or show cardiovascular consequences. Assessment with wearables may support efforts to distinguish which type of apnea is related to aging and which to cardiovascular comorbidities. Innovative methods offer smart solutions for problems that are insufficiently addressed. Telemedical concepts help bring patients to sleep medicine expertise at an early stage. To use these methods clinically, they must be certified as medical devices.

New technology to assess sleep apnea: wearables, smartphones, and accessories

Sleep medicine has been an expanding discipline during the last few decades. The prevalence of sleep disorders is increasing, and sleep centers are expanding in hospitals and in the private care environment to meet the demands. Sleep medicine has evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. However, the number of sleep centers and caregivers in this area is not sufficient. Many new methods for recording sleep and diagnosing sleep disorders have been developed. Many sleep disorders are chronic conditions and require continuous treatment and monitoring of therapy success. Cost-efficient technologies for the initial diagnosis and for follow-up monitoring of treatment are important. It is precisely here that telemedicine technologies can meet the demands of diagnosis and therapy follow-up studies. Wireless recording of sleep and related biosignals allows diagnostic tools and therapy follow-up to be widely and remotely available. Moreover, sleep research requires new technologies to investigate underlying mechanisms in the regulation of sleep in order to better understand the pathophysiology of sleep disorders. Home recording and non-obtrusive recording over extended periods of time with telemedicine methods support this research. Telemedicine allows recording with little subject interference under normal and experimental life conditions.