Work

Comparison of sleep biomechanics between children with cerebral palsy and their typically developing peers using wearable sensors: Feasibility study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: AIM: Examine the feasibility of wearable sensors to measure sleep biomechanics in typically developing (TD) children and children with cerebral palsy (CP) and compare sleep biomechanics between each group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven children with CP (4 male, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) I-II: n = 7, GMFCS IV-V: n = 4), and 19 TD children (11 male) aged 5-18 yrs wore sensors during sleep for five nights. Body rotation was coded using the Body Orientation During Sleep Framework to measure repositioning profiles. Feasibility (e.g. comfort, reliability) was assessed against endpoints, and mixed models compared sleep biomechanics across TD, CP-GMFCS I-II, and CP-GMFCS IV-V groups. RESULTS: Wearable sensors were well tolerated (>80 % satisfaction). There were no significant differences between TD and GMFCS I-II profiles. The GMFCS IV-V group demonstrated significantly (p < 0.001) fewer repositionings per hour than the TD group (TD: mean 2.72 ± 0.38, CP-GMFCS I-II: 2.7 ± 0.65, GMFCS IV-V: 0.46 ± 0.61). INTERPRETATION: Children with CP with higher gross motor impairment had reduced rates of repositioning in sleep. This has been proposed as contributing to the development of Body Shape Distortion; more research is needed. Sleep biomechanics recorded using wearable sensors could provide a low-cost approach to the long-term measurement and monitoring of repositioning during sleep.

Source: Sleep Medicine

DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2025.108666