Actigraphy is a method of study of circadian rhythm and wake-sleep patterns. It usually involves subjects to wear an actigraphto measure gross motor activity. Motor activity usually under test is that of the wrist, measured by an actigraph in a wrist-watch-like package. Actigraphs measure day-to-day activity of an individual, recording movement being made during waking and sleeping hours. A circadian rhythm is a roughly-24-hour cycle in the physiological processes of plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. ...
Actigraphy is useful for assessing daytime sleepiness in situations where a laboratory sleep latency test is not appropriate. Actigraphy is used to clinically evaluate insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, excessive sleepiness and restless leg syndrome. It is also used in the assessing the effectiveness of pharmacologic, behavioural, phototherapeutic or chronotherapeutic treatments for these disorders. The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is a sleep disorder diagnostic tool. ... It has been suggested that Primary insomnia be merged into this article or section. ... A girl quietly at sleep Sleep is the fundamental anabolic process common to all life forms, plant and animal. ... Wittmaack-Ekbom or restless legs syndrome is a disorder of the nervous system that affects sensation and movement in the legs and causes the limbs to feel uncomfortable. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... Behavior (U.S.) or behaviour (U.K.) refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. ... Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to specific ranges of light wavelengths (using lasers or LEDs), or very bright, full-spectrum light, for a prescribed amount of time. ... People who suffer from Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome are generally unable to reset their circadian rhythm by moving their bedtime and rising time earlier. ...
Actigraphy is not normally used in routine diagnosis of sleep disorders.
External links
ActiGraph, LLC - The ActiGraph, the Gold Standard in Activity Monitoring
American Academy of Sleep Medicine - Practice parameters for the role of actigraphy in the study of sleep and circadian rhythms: An update for 2002
Actigraphy may be a useful adjunct to a detailed history, examination, and subjective sleep diary for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia, circadian-rhythm disorders, and excessive sleepiness under certain conditions: (a) When demonstration of multiday rest-activity patterns is necessary to diagnose, document severity and guide the proper treatment.
Actigraphy may be useful in characterizing and monitoring circadian rhythm patterns or disturbances in the following special populations: (a) the elderly and nursing home patients with and without dementia; (b) newborns, infants, children, and adolescents; (c) hypertensive individuals; (d) depressed or schizophrenic patients; and (e) individuals in inaccessible situations (e.g., space flight).
Actigraphy appears useful as an outcome measure in: (a) interventional trials in patients with sleep disorders; (b) outcome studies of healthy adults; (c) patients with certain medical and psychiatric conditions; and (d) children and the elderly.
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