Awakening a new era of sleep research - with wearables

In 1924, the first recording of electrical brain activity from the human scalp was made. While initially received with hesitation, this major technological innovation made it possible, for the first time, to measure the human brain in action. The identification of different brain activity patterns during sleep led to the classification of different sleep stages.

The technologies used to measure sleep physiology at that time are still very much in use in modern-day sleep labs. However, the intensive nature of such measurements restricts it to short term, individual monitoring, in specialized laboratories. 

To study sleep patterns over longer periods of time in larger populations, researchers turned to actigraphy. These wrist-worn devices that could track physical activity had the potential to objectively estimate periods of wake and sleep outside of the laboratory.

Photograph of actiwatches at the Sleep and Cognition Lab

Today, the boom in consumer technology continues to drive improvement in sensors and algorithms that make wearable devices more powerful, more user friendly, and much more affordable. This has allowed for the study (like this one!) of natural sleep patterns in hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously. 

The depth and scale of information that can be gathered from consumer wearables presents an unprecedented opportunity to advance sleep science. By participating in this study, you are contributing to pushing the boundaries of current knowledge!

Photo: Connie Park