Generales

By: Julián David Ospina Sánchez-Journalist

Based on a worldwide survey that reveals dissatisfaction with sleep quality, Universidad de Antioquia’s Bioinstrumentation and Clinical Engineering Research Group (GIBIC) created the Smart Bedding sensor, which provides real-time information on the main factors that affect good sleep.

The measuring instruments are incorporated into the flexible sheet. Photo: courtesy of Alher Mauricio Hernández.

Difficulty falling asleep, a choking sensation at night, frequent snoring, sudden movements in bed and constant awakenings are indicators of poor sleep, often without the affected person realizing it. "The patient feels bad but does not know that it is due to the lack of restorative rest, and if they know, they do not know the causes of the problem", explained Universidad de Antioquia professor María Eugenia Toro Pérez, neurologist with a master’s degree in sleep medicine.

She noted that the symptoms mentioned above are related to pathologies such as chronic insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea —which is when you stop breathing while sleeping— and parasomnias, framed in sleepwalking, restless legs syndrome and nightmares. The professor listed some of the consequences of these conditions: irritability, depression, physical fatigue, memory loss, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular damage, increased occupational and traffic accidents and decreased productivity.

After analyzing this problem, the Bioinstrumentation and Clinical Engineering Research Group (GIBIC), which belongs to Universidad de Antioquia’s Faculty of Engineering, undertook the task of designing and manufacturing the Smart Bedding, a sensor that evaluates the different variables that affect the quality of sleep in any person. In times of the pandemic, the device can also be used for home monitoring of critical patients who must lie in bed most of the time and may have ulcers or irritation due to their medical condition.

Universidad de Antioquia researchers relied on the Global Sleep Survey conducted among 13,000 people by KJT Group for the multinational Phillips in December 2019. Fifty-one percent of those interviewed were not satisfied with the way they slept, and among these, 53% did not know the reasons.

According to GIBIC director Alher Mauricio Hernandez, these reasons were used for the design of the Smart Bedding, a flexible sheet with special fabrics that enable the location of monitors for blood pressure, heart rate, level of contact of the different parts of the body with the mattress, respiratory rate, nocturnal movements and number of snores along with external factors such as noise, temperature and humidity.

This device is connected to a mobile application that provides data and recommendations according to the findings during the patient's rest period.

Product Advantages and Projection

According to studies conducted by GIBIC, similar technological developments worldwide have fewer measurement variables, as they generally do not evaluate pressure, noise, temperature and humidity. Moreover, the Smart Bedding is designed to have a cost that does not exceed 100 dollars, while the other products are above 150 dollars.

"It is very encouraging to have a project from Universidad de Antioquia that competes at a global level, even surpassing other similar products, and that opens new avenues of research on the quality of sleep, which has only recently been analyzed at a scientific level", highlighted Professor María Eugenia Toro.

Another point in favor of this university development is that the fine-tuning of the new sensor was carried out in the Centro de Producción de Dispositivos Médicos (Medical Devices Production Center) of Universidad de Antioquia’s Eastern Campus, which received the sanitary certification from INVIMA (National Institute for Drug and Food Surveillance) in 2019. "This implies a change of vision regarding the development of this type of initiatives since entrepreneurs in the country are used to importing and selling", said Hernandez.

Hernández concluded that the researchers created the spin-off GIBIC Medtech precisely to follow up on the creative process and meet Universidad de Antioquia's objective of promoting the development of entrepreneurial initiatives. This technology-based company, made up of members of the academic community, will be in charge of the production and marketing of the Smart Bedding so that the project will not be limited to scientific publications or patents and permits but reaches the users who need it both in hospitals and at home.

Sleep Hygiene

In December 2020, KJT Group conducted another Global Sleep Survey for Phillips, which showed that 70% of 13,000 respondents had experienced negative changes in their sleep patterns due to the stress caused by the pandemic. Professor María Eugenia Toro Pérez gave the following advice, which can be useful to have good sleep hygiene during this season:
Disconnect from all electronic devices and their news at least one hour before going to sleep.
During that hour, avoid thinking about projects, difficulties or activities that can generate stress.
Keep a sleep schedule. It can be one for the week and another for weekends.
The place where you sleep must be as dark as possible.
Adjust the temperature. It must be neither too hot nor too cold.
Eat at least two hours before going to sleep.
If you have a history of insomnia, do not exercise after 5:00 p.m.
Do not eat, watch television or work in bed. This space should be understood at a conscious and subconscious level as exclusive for rest.