Quality sleep is the foundation for good health. But 1 in 3 adults don't regularly log the amount of rest they need, and about 50 million to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Inadequate sleep is associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression and increased risk of death, according to a 2015 consensus statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. A 2024 study showed that men who get adequate sleep live about five years longer than men who don't, and that women who get enough sleep live about two years longer than women who don't.
MORE: People wake up happier than when they go to sleep, study finds
Diagnosing what may be keeping people awake can be difficult, sometimes involving a polysomnogram, or sleep study, in a clinic to track brain wave changes, eye movements, breathing rate and other measures. But researchers out of the University of Cambridge have developed "smart pajamas," washable, wearable clothing with tiny fabric sensors that help people monitor their own sleep patterns.
A study, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the sensors that were trained with machine learning could detect six different sleep states with nearly 99% accuracy. The pajamas were able to identify nasal breathing, mouth breathing, snoring, teeth grinding, and central and obstructive sleep apnea – and to discount normal movements, such as turning over.
The pajamas were treated with a special kind of starch that made them more durable and machine washable.
The data the sensors gather can be sent to a smartphone or computer, helping people track their own sleep patterns and allowing them to share the information with health providers.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common of 80 existing sleep disorders include:
• Chronic insomnia: When people have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep most nights for at least three months and feel tired or irritable as a result.
• Obstructive sleep apnea: When people snore and have moments during sleep when they stop breathing that disrupts their sleep.
• Restless legs syndrome: When people have the urge to move their legs when resting.
• Narcolepsy: When people can’t regulate when they fall asleep or how long they stay awake.
• Shift work sleep disorder: When people have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and feel sleepiness at unwanted times due to their work schedule.
• REM sleep behavior disorder: When people act out their dreams while in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep.
The most accurate way to diagnose a disorder is through an overnight sleep study. The Cleveland Clinic has detailed information about what to expect with and how to prepare for a test.
