A recent study from Washington State University, in collaboration with the University of Washington, has identified nightly variability in sleep patterns as a crucial factor in chronic insomnia, rather than just sleep duration. The findings, published in JMIR Formative Research, are based on the longest objective characterization of sleep in individuals with chronic insomnia.
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Conducted using Sleep.ai's contactless monitoring technology, the study involved 112 participants—83 with chronic insomnia and 29 without—over eight weeks of at-home sleep tracking. The data revealed that individuals with chronic insomnia averaged roughly the same total sleep as their counterparts, at 6.57 hours compared to 6.60 hours. However, those with insomnia exhibited significant variability in sleep efficiency, time taken to fall asleep, and overnight awakenings.
This variability indicates that inconsistent sleep-wake patterns may be a critical component of chronic insomnia, suggesting that existing diagnostic methods, which often rely on averages and questionnaires, may overlook this essential aspect. The study highlights the potential for improved diagnosis and treatment approaches focused on variability rather than just total sleep duration.
Elie Gottlieb, PhD, Head of Applied Science at Sleep.ai and study co-author, emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring for obtaining meaningful sleep insights. He noted that the contactless nature of the SleepScore Max device allows for the monitoring of sleep patterns in a real-world setting, free from the limitations of lab environments.