The Actigraph Data Analysis Software: I. A Novel Approach to Scoring and Interpreting Sleep-Wake Activity

Abstract

Decades of empirical observations have established the validity of actigraphy primarily in individuals without sleep disorders. Methodological problems encountered thus far coupled with the widespread use of actigraphy signal the need for concentrated efforts to establish a consensus regarding scoring procedures. Currently available scoring methods show less reliability in clinical populations. To address these issues two validation studies were conducted: one for individuals without sleep disorders and the other for patients diagnosed with insomnia. The results of these two studies using the Actigraph Data Analysis Software as the scoring method have shown that the described system is fairly precise. It can be used for actigraphs with different features and mode of operation and is applicable to individuals with insomnia. These findings corroborate previous research showing that actigraphy is a valid instrument for assessment of sleep and wakefulness.

Sleeping with the enemy: Clock monitoring in the maintenance of insomnia

“…The validity of actigraphy has been extensively investigated. The correlation between actigraphy-and polysomnography-defined sleep estimates ranges from 0.88 to 0.97 in adult good sleepers and 0.79-0.90 in patients with insomnia (e.g., Cole et al, 1992;Jean-Louis et al, 1997a;Sadeh, Alster, Urbach, & Lavie, 1989). The accuracy 2 of actigraphy in identifying sleep and wakefulness ranges from 82% in normal adults (Blood, Sack, Percy, & Pen, 1997) and 76-77% in patients with insomnia (Kushida et al, 2001).…”

Nighttime Variability in Wrist Actigraphy

“…The device, which typically looks like a sports watch, is worn on the nondominant wrist for 1 or more nights to measure nighttime sleep (Mini Mitter Co., Inc., 2003). Although not used for diagnosis of clinical sleep disorders, actigraphy is used as a research tool in various patient populations to assess number of sleep disturbances, time spent in bed asleep, and sleep latency (Jean-Louis et al, 1996; Jean-Louis et al, 1997a, 1997b). Researchers evaluating sleep in patients with cancer and cancer survivors have used actigraphy to provide descriptive information about sleep and circadian patterns and to test efficacy of interventions (Ancoli-Israel et al, 2005; Berger, Farr, Kuhn, Fischer, & Agrawal, 2007; Berger et al, 2002; Berger et al, 2003; Epstein & Dirksen, 2007; Miaskowski & Lee, 1999; Roscoe et al, 2002).…”

Predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in obese adults who are chronic short sleepers

“…Bed time and wake up time were set by the investigator according to the sleep diaries of the participants. Actiwatches have been validated against polysomnography, with correlations for sleep duration ranging from .82 in insomniacs to .97 in healthy subjects [12]. Two measures from the actigraphy data were included in these analyses: sleep duration (amount of actual sleep obtained during the 24-hour period) and sleep efficiency (percentage of time in bed spent sleeping).…”