Children who suffer from sleep-related rhythmic disorder violently rock back and forth during the night. There is currently no standardized treatment for the condition, according to the ETH, though many doctors believe that children grow out of it.
Cathy Hill, a doctor at University Hospital Southampton, is of a different opinion. She explained in an ETH statement: “I have seen children pushing their beds all over the room due to their uncontrolled movements. The body movements can really be very violent. They can harm children, not only in terms of sleep quality.”
When she heard about the Somnomat automated bed developed at the ETH, she decided to use it in a clinical study with children suffering from the disorder. She has now travelled to Zurich with six of her patients from England.
The Somnomat can move at different speeds either sideways or in the direction of sleep, depending on what best suits the participants. It will soon be available on the market as an anti-snoring bed and, following the ongoing trials, could one day help children suffering from sleep-related rhythmic disorder.
The current study with English children also offered researchers from the Austrian Institute for Technology (AIT) the possibility of testing a new 3D camera, which registered the movements of the sleeping participants. Critically, the test participants did not need to be wired; this can influence normal sleep behaviour.
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