Abstract
Sleep is not just a passive process, but rather a highly dynamic process that is terminated by waking up. Throughout the night a specific number of sleep stages that are repeatedly changing in various periods of time take place. These specific time intervals and specific sleep stages are very important for the wake up event. It is far more difficult to wake up during the deep NREM (2–4) stage of sleep because the rest of the body is still sleeping. On the other hand if we wake up during the mild (REM, NREM1) sleep stage it is a much more pleasant experience for us and for our bodies. This problem led the authors to undertake this study and develop a Windows Mobile-based device application called wakeNsmile. The wakeNsmile application records and monitors the sleep stages for specific amounts of time before a desired alarm time set by users. It uses a built-in microphone and determines the optimal time to wake the user up. Hence, if the user sets an alarm in wakeNsmile to 7:00 and wakeNsmile detects that a more appropriate time to wake up (REM stage) is at 6:50, the alarm will start at 6:50. The current availability and low price of mobile devices is yet another reason to use and develop such an application that will hopefully help someone to wakeNsmile in the morning. So far, the wakeNsmile application has been tested on four individuals introduced in the final section.
Highlights
Sleep is a complex process regulated by our brain and as such is driven by a 24 h biological rhythm.As we age, our sleeping habits change rapidly
The WakeNsmile application uses a user control called Alarm that has been created as a part of this project
The wakeNsmile application is not recommended for subjects with pathological sleep issues
Summary
Sleep is a complex process regulated by our brain and as such is driven by a 24 h biological rhythm.As we age, our sleeping habits change rapidly. Recent research [1] shows that differences in the biological rhythm of people can explain why some teenagers have such difficulty in waking up. It seems that during puberty this rhythm shifts and adults tend to go to bed much later and to wake up much later as well. One of them is hormone called melatonin, which is suspected to make us feel sleepy. This substance is produced in our brain and some scientists believe that it is causes our metabolism to slow down before falling asleep. Melatonin secretion leads to a reduction of body temperature, a limitation of blood flow towards brain and a slackness of muscles [3]
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