You may not know this, but as people age, their sleep quality declines. Deep sleep phases become shallower and shorter and people do not rest very well. This can be extremely damaging to one’s quality of life, but there are ways to help people suffering from abnormal sleep.
For example, researchers at ETH Zürich have developed a system, called the SleepLoop, which emits a sound at the right time to amplify the slow brain waves.
The SleepLoop system is basically a big headband with electrodes and a microchip, which should be worn throughout the night. SleepLoop analyses brain waves in real time to track the sleep cycle and recognize deep sleep time. Once a deep sleep phase is identified, the device starts clicking – it emits a sound, which helps to synchronize the neuronal cells and enhance the slow waves. People using the SleepLoop system do not hear the clicking, because it is not very loud and they are sleeping.
The SleepLoop system is basically a big headband with electrodes and a microchip – it starts clicking to help people in deeper sleep phases. Image credit: ETH Zürich
Many people like to listen to something calming when they are falling asleep. However, the SleepLoop system is different, because these sounds are matched to the sleep phase. The device analyses brain activity and chooses the optimal time to start clicking. Scientists tested the system with 16 people aged between 60 – 80 years old. Participants had to operate the system on their own, puting it one, adjusting it and sleeping with it. The SleepLoop system is actually designed to be very easy to use even for people who are not tech-savvy.
Researchers found that the SleepLoop system could actually enhance the slow waves through auditory signals during deep sleep. However, some participants didn’t respond to this therapy at all. It didn’t even matter if their day was going great- the SleepLoop could help them achieve a higher quality of sleep. This could mean that the SleepLoop system is not going to be for everyone and scientists will have to understand whom they can recommend this device for. Because it is coming to the market.
Walter Karlen, one of the developers of the SleepLoop system, said: “This is a medical device, not just a wellness consumer product you can order online when you have trouble sleeping. Use of the device must be medically indicated and supervised by a doctor”.
Thousands of people are already sleeping with headphones or a white noise generator nearby. Some sounds help people sleep. What makes the SleepLoop system is its ability to adapt to the actual sleep cycle in real time. For many people with sleeping disorders a device like this could bring a huge improvement on the quality of life. Scientists just need to dial it in order to create instructions for its application in the medical field.
Source: ETH Zürich