Continuous Monitoring of Sleep-Related Biomarkers via a Nearable Solution Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Technology

This study explores the innovative application of a nearable solution (i.e., mattress) based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) technology for continuously monitoring of critical sleep-related biomarkers. Based on biocompatible silicone compounds, the mattress embeds thirteen strategically positioned FBG sensors to detect bed occupancy, sleeping posture, respiratory rate (RR), and heart rate (HR). Our experimental protocol involves ten participants who underwent simulated sleeping conditions to evaluate the mattress's performance across different postures and respiratory patterns. Employing traditional machine learning algorithms, including decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), and Naïve-Bayes classifiers, the mattress achieves 100% accuracy in bed occupancy detection. It also effectively distinguishes between axial and lateral sleeping positions, with SVM achieving the highest accuracy of 78.4% for axial versus lateral differentiation and convolutional neural networks achieving 75.9% in distinguishing left from right positions. Additionally, for most participants, the system successfully estimates RR and HR with mean absolute errors of less than 0.7 breaths per minute and 4 bpm, respectively, across various breathing patterns in terms of frequencies and amplitudes employing different algorithms (frequency and time-domain approaches). The promising findings highlight the potential of the proposed system for a comprehensive evaluation of sleep-related breathing disorders in clinical and home settings.