Sleep management method and system for improving sleep behaviour of a human or animal in the care of a carer
A sleep management method and system for use by a carer to improve the sleep behavior of a child in their care by monitoring one or more objective parameters relevant to sleep quality and providing one or more recommendations for behavioral programs and/or actions to the carer via a portable user interaction device such as a mobile phone. Such a system can also be adapted for use in looking after adults and animals such as domestic pets.
1. A method for use by a carer of a human or animal different from the carer to improve the sleep behaviour of the human or animal under care, the method comprising:
(i) monitoring, using at least one sensor, one or more objective parameters relevant to sleep-related behaviour of said human or animal, said parameters being selected from physiological parameters and environmental parameters and including at least movement of the human or animal and/or electrical signals indicative of brain activity of the human or animal after having been put to bed;
(ii) communicating data from said at least one sensor to a processing means;
(iii) at said processing means, using said data in selecting from a first memory one or more recommendations for behavioural programs to improve the sleep behaviour of the human or animal and/or actions for implementation by the carer to improve the sleep behaviour of the human or animal; and
(iv) sending said one or more recommendations from said processing means to a portable user interaction device for presenting the recommendation(s) to the carer via a display, said portable user interaction device also enabling the carer to input information which is fed back to said processing means;
wherein said processing means updates the one or more recommendations sent to said portable user interaction device on the basis of changes in detected sleep behaviour of said human or animal and/or on the basis of information input to said portable user interaction device, and
wherein said processing means generates an alert to the carer via said portable user interaction device after a pre-defined number of nights of lack of improvement in sleep behaviour.
2. A method for use by a carer of a human or animal different from the carer to improve the sleep behaviour of the human or animal under care, the method comprising:
(i) monitoring, using at least one sensor, one or more objective parameters relevant to sleep-related behaviour of said human or animal, said parameters being selected from physiological parameters and environmental parameters and including at least movement of the human or animal and/or electrical signals indicative of brain activity of the human or animal after having been put to bed;
(ii) communicating data from said at least one sensor to a processing means;
(iii) at said processing means, using said data in selecting from a first memory one or more recommendations for behavioural programs to improve the sleep behaviour of the human or animal and/or actions for implementation by the carer to improve the sleep behaviour of the human or animal; and
(iv) sending said one or more recommendations from said processing means to a portable user interaction device for presenting the recommendation(s) to the carer via a display, said portable user interaction device also enabling the carer to input information which is fed back to said processing means;
wherein said processing means updates the one or more recommendations sent to said portable user interaction device on the basis of changes in detected sleep behaviour of said human or animal and/or on the basis of information input to said portable user interaction device, and
wherein said processing means generates an alert to the carer via said portable user interaction device after a pre-defined number of nights of a worsening in sleep behaviour.