Wearable at-home recording system for sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is characterized by a cessation in breathing during periods of sleep. Sleep apnea affects over 46 million Americans, with 80% of them undiagnosed. Diagnosis methods are expensive and uncomfortable. Sleep assessment methods can be performed either at a sleep lab in a clinic or at home. In-lab sleep tests, called polysomnograms, are considered uncomfortable due to not sleeping in one´s customary environment, and having over 10 electrodes or attachments touching the body on the head, nasal cannula, and limbs. At-home tests may be hard to set up correctly, and some have many wires and attachments that reduce comfort. We are developing a simpler sleep apnea recording system that restricts the electrodes and sensors to the area of a shirt. Electrocadiogram signals are recorded by three electrodes, and electromyogram of the intercostal muscles are recorded to monitor respiratory activity. A prototype has been made from an athletic shirt which houses all electronics. Custom made LabView programs analyze and plot the signals for assessment of variability of the heart rate and respiration rate, which may be used to identify possible episodes of sleep apnea. Further development and testing are necessary toward wider application.