System and method for inducing sleep

摘要

A system for sleep induction, detecting and tracking includes a monitor for analyzing single- and multiple-respiration patterns of a user and a stimulus generator for providing to the user multiple stimuli each bearing selectable relationships with selected temporal characteristics of the monitored respiration patterns. At least stimulus is operative to change one or more temporal characteristics of the respiration patterns by synchronization of respiration movements with specific aspects of the stimulus. A sync detector determines at least one measure of synchronization between at least one selected temporal characteristic of selected stimuli and a corresponding temporal characteristic of the respiration patterns for selected relationships between the stimuli and the temporal characteristics of the respiration patterns. A sleep detector indicates onset of sleep and a driver continuously controls the operation of the stimulus generator, the sync detector and the sleep detector based on signals as they are received.

主权项

1. A system for sleep induction, detecting and tracking comprising:
a monitor coupled to a respiration sensor configured to analyze a respiration signal and to derive respective characteristics from both single- and multiple-respiration patterns of a user; a stimulus generator configured to provide multiple guiding stimuli and multiple non-guiding stimuli to the user, each guiding stimulus of the multiple guiding stimuli and each non-guiding stimulus of the multiple non-guiding stimuli bearing at least one selectable time-relationship with a respective selected temporal characteristic of said single- and multiple-monitored respiration patterns of a user, wherein each of said guiding stimuli is operative to change at least one of said temporal characteristics of the respiration patterns by synchronization of respective respiration movements of the user with specific aspects of said guiding stimuli; a sync detector configured to determine at least one measure of synchronization expressed as a function of a time lag between at least one of said selected temporal characteristics of selected ones of said guiding stimuli and a corresponding one of the selected temporal characteristics of the respiration patterns for each respiration pattern and for using the at least one measure of synchronization to determine a performance indicator identifying an extent of the user to follow the guiding stimuli; a sleep detector configured to be responsive to signals provided by the monitor and to the performance indicator provided by the sync detector for indicating the onset of sleep; and a driver configured to be operative to continuously control operation of the stimulus generator, the sync detector and the sleep detector based on signals as they are received from at least the sync detector, the sleep detector and the monitor, during the operation of the monitor, wherein the non-guiding stimuli are operative to maintain the temporal relationships with the respective selected temporal characteristics of said single- and multiple-monitored respiration patterns of the user without modifying said temporal characteristics of the respiration patterns.