A new device to improve deep sleep

With age, sleep quality tends to decline and “deep sleep” is disturbed. Somehow the opposite of “sleep like a baby”! To improve this specific phase of sleep known (in medical terms) as “Sleep without REM sleep,” Swiss researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) conducted a clinical trial to test a new device.

It’s a portable device called a “SleepLoop”, designed to emit sounds in the ears (via earphones) during the deep sleep phase. object A headband with electrodes and a chip, the role of which is to constantly measure the brain activity of a sleeping person.

The collected data is analyzed in real time and independently thanks to the microchip using dedicated software. As soon as the sleeper shows slow waves (signs of deep sleep), the system emits a short audio signal, which is characterized by a small “click”.

The fact that this sound is received will allow the organism to synchronize the neurons and enhance the work of slow waves. Of course, SleepLoop is designed so that the person wearing the headphones does not wake up with these sounds!

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The first experiment was conducted with 16 participants, aged 60 to 80, who used SleepLoop directly at home. Volunteers wore the device every night for four weeks. The auditory stimulation was performed every night for only two weeks, without the participants knowing exactly when.

Published in the magazine medical communicationAnd The results look encouraging. “It worked very well. The data loss was surprisingly minimal and participants found the device easy to use.Carolyn Lustenberger, who led the study, explains.

But if the experiment proves to be critical in terms of object recognition, not all participants will express the same sensitivity to sound stimuli. “Some people responded well to stimuli and showed clear improvement in slow waves, while others showed no reaction, regardless of their daily health.n,” notes Caroline Lustenberger.

So the researchers will use this data to improve the effectiveness of SleepLoop, so that it benefits as many people as possible.