Sleep Technology

In Part I of this article from the Q2 issue of 2018, I discussed the emerging and growing technology of the sleep medicine community. I also talked about the mantra of that time as “entering the field on the cutting edge of technology that would revolutionize the field of sleep medicine.” Just a few decades ago, there were no state licensure laws or any “real” credentialing requirements. And, of course, no HIPAA laws, either.

Technology has allowed us to link with people all around the world. From connecting with friends and family abroad to discovering new cultures while sitting in the comfort of our own home, access to the internet has transformed the way we communicate.

Technology has made our lives a lot easier in many ways, but it has complicated it in others, too. Especially when it comes to your security. As humans increasingly rely on apps and devices, more and more of our data is being stored on various platforms. That includes the devices we use to track our sleep. Any data we hand over to a device is typically stored on a server in the cloud. And sometimes that data can be compromised. But should we be concerned about our privacy when it comes to sleep data? D. Reed Freeman Jr., a leading authority on privacy and cybersecurity, says the answer isn’t so black and white.

It’s not uncommon these days to see people walking down the street with a FitBit or an Apple Watch. These wearables can track a slew of things: your steps, calories burned, your heart rate. They also can track your sleep. But what does that mean? And is the data it collects valuable in any sort of way?

Wearables have become ubiquitous in our modern society, especially with both weekend and professional athletes. In particular, there has been a rapid implementation of wearables that monitor sleep into professional sports teams since 2008. However, this has created some unique legal challenges that need to be considered. The potential problems with these devices are the accuracy and legitimacy of the data from the wearable, the privacy of the data collected and the ownership of the data.

It seems like every industry is being changed by artificial intelligence, or AI.

This is the fourth article in a series on the changing face of sleep technology. The past three articles focused on technology and the economy. This article focuses on how all these changes could directly impact the future sleep technologist.

This article is part three in a four-part series on the ever-changing face of sleep technology. In this article, we’ll address the following questions: What does the future of sleep medicine look like? How will evolving technology change the way sleep studies are done? And, just as importantly, how will economic pressures affect sleep medicine?

Sleep spindles are an information processing and transferring feature of the sleeping brain. With that in mind, AAST gathered together leading sleep-care professionals to discuss hot topics in the field — transferring information from them to you. AAST board member Allen Boone, RPSGT, RST, CCRA, CCRC, hosts this four-part video series. In our third installment, we have an interview with fellow board members Laree J. Fordyce, RST, RPSGT, CCSH, and Brendan Duffy, RPSGT, RST, CCSH, on the topic of talking tech with patients.    

This is the second in a series of articles dealing with the changing landscape of sleep technology. In this article, we’ll take a brief look at our present understanding of sleep as well as review some of the technology we use in our sleep centers.