RCL56: ’In-Home Polysomnography’ with special guest Dr Amy M Bender

And so we reach the final part of our 'SLEEP AWARENESS MONTH' on the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, being uploaded also to this Runchatlive Podcast. My special guest is Dr Amy M Bender, Director of Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra, talking about 'In-Home Polysomnography' and sharing the results of my recent five week sleep study using the Cerebra Sleep System.

What is In-Home Polysomnography?
The most comprehensive form of sleep study currently available requires going to a sleep-lab. However, for many the sleeping environment is unnatural and equipment uncomfortable. A popular alternative is the ‘Home Sleep Apnea Test’ (HSAT), which though convenient only measures breathing and respiratory functions, not sleep quality.

Enter the ‘Cerebra Sleep System‘ – an in-home, self applied polysomnogram (PSG) that provides the quality diagnostics of an in-lab study with the convenience of Home Sleep Apnea Testing.

For those of you who like the nitty gritty, Cerebra Sleep System uses the patented algorithm Odds Ratio Product (ORP) that micro analyses the Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal providing a continuous measure of sleep depth, moving beyond conventional scoring methods to dig deeper into brain activity.

The Cerebra Sleep System can measure brain waves (EEG), eye movement (EOG), respiratory data, leg and body movements, pulse oximetry, and heart rate (ECG).

My Five Week Sleep Study using ‘Cerebra Sleep System’
My personal five week sleep study included:

• Electroencephalography (EEG/brain waves).
• Electrooculography (EOG/eye movements).
• Electromyography (EMG/electrical activity of chin muscle).
• Daily reaction time tests to track performance.
• Questionnaires on perceived sleep quality, disturbances during the night.
• Tracking of daily exercise & use of electronics before bedtime.

In this podcast episode, topics discussed included:

• What are the benefits but also limitations of common consumer wearables like Fitbit and Oura ring?
• How does the Cerebra In-Home Polysomnogram Sleep System differ from the above?
• How useful is the data regarding the different stages of sleep, e.g. REM, N-REM, Deep Sleep, etc.?
• How did Matt Phillips find sleeping with the Cerebra headset on?
• How useful was it being held accountable each day by filling in questionnaires? 
• What was Matt's Sleep Study expecting to find by removing caffeine consumption after week one?
• A look at the results from Matt's five week Sleep Study including:
  - General Insights (sleep efficiency, sleep latency, reported sleep quality, and more)
  - Actual sleep time per night
  - Amount of waking up after going to sleep
  - Effect of removing caffeine: evening sleepiness, reaction time, attention lapses
• Take home messages from the study & Sleep Awareness Month
            

Useful Links  

• Cerebra Health Website
• Dr Amy Bender Website
• Dr Amy M Bender on Twitter: @sleep4sport

About This Week's Guest
Dr. Amy Bender is Director of Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra, a digital health company in Canada focused on improving access to advanced digital sleep analysis and diagnostic sleep technology. She is a highly respected researcher with written publications, interviews for stories in Oprah Magazine and public speaking appearances including Ted Med talk. Dr Bender has worked with the National Hockey League, Canadian national team athletes & Olympic athletes, and is no stranger to sport herself with pastimes including mountaineering and Ironman Triathlon.

A huge thanks to all of our special guests during the 'Sleep Awareness Month':

• Jesse Cook, Clinical Psychology PhD Student and Sleep Researcher
• Dr Olivia Walch, CEO of Arcascope, PhD Applied Mathematics
• Dr Jonathan Charest, Director of Athlete Sleep Service at Centre For Sleep & Human Performance
• Dr Amy M. Bender, Director of Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra
  
  

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