Unique insights for sleep researchers
Sleep researcher Janne Grønli has dedicated her life to researching sleep and its impact on humans. In her research, she has used Somnofy as a valuable measuring instrument.
A better objective measurement of sleep
In her work, Janne Grønli uses several different tools to measure sleep. She is interested in more than the number of hours of sleep you get. Which measurement method she chooses depends on what her research focuses on:
To measure brain activity during sleep, she uses polysomnography;
To assess sleep patterns over several days and weeks, she uses actigraphy.
An actigraph looks like a clock attached to the arm, which can separate sleep from wakefulness based on movement. If the actigraph also measures light levels, it can be helpful in many studies. Polysomnography (PSG) measures brain activity, eye movements, respiration, and muscle activity. This is performed in a sleep laboratory via several electrodes attached to the head and body.
After Grønli used Somnofy in her work, she realized that this tool can provide a much more detailed and accurate objective measurement of sleep quality than actigraphy.
- Actigraphy works well to estimate sleep length and how regular a person sleeps over time. But if I want to know specific details about the sleep quality of many participants over several days, I use Somnofy. Simply because it provides an excellent agreement with particular stages of sleep during the night compared to brain activity measured by polysomnography.
Contactless measurement with Somnofy provides more detailed information about sleep
According to Grønli, sleep is a good helper for the whole body. Sleep enables the central nervous system to recover, contributes to good hormone balance, and strengthens the immune system. During sleep, waste products are removed, and the brain prepares to start a new day. Therefore, less sleep time or sleep disturbances over time do indeed create a feeling of brain fog and increase vulnerability to diseases.
- With new measurement methods such as Somnofy, we have a tool to provide insight into what sleep quality actually does to individuals and specific populations over time. "Results from Somnofy make me think that there is a high probability that this person actually spent a lot of time in deep sleep, light sleep or REM sleep." According to the sleep researcher, much more detailed information is attainable with this contactless measurement than with actigraphs.
- Detailed knowledge about sleep is vital for many - both young and old. This is because muscles and bones are built stronger during sleep, and the brain forms long-term memories when we sleep. But, you should not stress around sleep; the brain just gets more awake! So it is wise to use this new knowledge to facilitate a good night's sleep, Grønli emphasizes.
Somnofy has been used in many different research studies. Populations include:
- Older people with and without dementia
- Upper secondary school pupils
- Shift workers in the health sector
- Top athletes
Contact our research team here if you are interested in hearing more about how Somnofy can be used in your data collection.