Assessments
Our leading sleep expert John Groeger will recommend assessments to suit clients and their sleep challenges. All assessments are portable and will be posted with instructions to the chosen address for clients to undergo sleep assessments in the comfort of their own home.
We have a menu of assessments available to provide a scientific analysis of client’s sleep, allowing us to make formal recommendations for sleep improvement.
A list of our sleep assessment equipment can be seen below.
| Stage | Assessment | What it measures | What it identifies | Method used | Time frame |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 - Consultation | Initial Consultation | Self-reported sleep issue/s | Sleep / lifestyle challenges | Online Interview | 1 Hour |
Subjective Sleep / Activity / Environment | Sleep quality, excessive sleepiness, mood, chronotype, H50 | Sleep/lifestyle challenges | Online questionnaires | 30 Minutes | |
Stage 2 -Standard Assessments | Objective Sleep / Activity / Environment | Activity, light, temperature | Sleep times, disruption, and duration; Brightness, light, and room temperature | Actigraphy | 2 Weeks |
Daily Sleep Diary | How well / how long asleep, interruptions, and bad dreams | Duration, quality of sleep, and nightmares | Brief online questionnaire | 3 minutes a day, across 2 weeks | |
Subjective Fatigue | Exhaustion and fatigue | Fatigue across the day and after sleep | Online momentary analysis | 2 Weeks | |
Stage 3 - Supplementary Assessments | Sleep Structure | Brain activity | Sleep drive and REM based sleep disorders | At home EEG | 2 Weeks |
Blood Oxygen Concentration | Level of oxygen in blood | Sleep apnea | Pulse Oximeter | 2+ Nights | |
Core Body Temperature | 24-48 hours internal body temperature monitoring | Circadian rhythm and circadian misalignment | Ingestible tablet | 24-48 Hours x2 | |
Hormonal Sampling | a) Progesterone & Oestradiol b) Cortisol & Melatonin | Circadian rhythm, circadian misalignment, and related sleep disorders. Menopause and menstrual cycle | Repeated blood / saliva samples | Depends on hormone. 4-6 samples per day, across several days | |
Stage 4 - Report | Report and Consultation | Reporting | Scientific recommendations to improve sleep | Word | X |
Initial Consultation
After getting in contact with us, all clients will undergo an initial consultation which involves an online interview with ourselves, the client and their partner or carer. This allows us to gain insight into the client’s sleep challenges, pre-trauma lifestyle, family/living circumstances. Following this, clients will complete some questionnaires for us to understand more about the client’s subjective sleep history.
Actigraphy
A wrist watch worn on the non-dominant arm which provides continuous 24/7 recordings of 3-d movement, measurement of red, green, blue, and lux light, and peripheral / environmental temperature. Can help to identify sleep times, disruption, and duration.
Sleep Diary
A daily diary delivered and completed on Qualtrics (an online questionnaire platform) to record subjective sleep over 2 weeks. This will provide insight into how well/how long you sleep, any interruptions to sleep, and bad dreams.
An online survey tool that allows you to create questionnaires and surveys, collect and analyse data.
(Qualtrics XM, Qualtrics XM // The Leading Experience Management Software)
EEG
An at-home sleep monitor that measures electrical brain activity to give insight into sleep stages like slow wave sleep, REM, and light sleep. Consists of 3 easy self-applied peel-and-stick sensors placed behind each ear and back of head.
(ZMachine Insight+, Zmachine - Devdent)
Pulse Oximeter
A wrist worn device that measures blood oxygenation levels and can help to identify sleep apnea.
(Nonin WristOx2 Model 3150, WristOx2® Model 3150 with Bluetooth® Low Energy - Nonin)
eCelsius
A small swallowable telemetric tablet which measures core body temperature. Data from the tablet is transmitted to a small receiving dock. Gut transit time is typically 24-36hours. This can help identify circadian rhythm misalignment, slow wave sleep, and sleep quality.
(BodyCap, https://www.bodycap-medical.com/e-celsius-performance-body-temperature-monitoring-telemetric-pill/)
Hormonal Sampling
A technique designed for detecting and quantifying peptides, proteins, antibodies, and hormones. In an ELISA, an antigen must be immobilized to a solid surface and then complexed with an antibody that is linked to an enzyme. Detection is accomplished by assessing the conjugated enzyme activity via incubation with a substrate to produce a measurable product. The most crucial element of the detection strategy is a highly specific antibody-antigen interaction.
Hormones can be extracted as saliva/blood samples and processed in our HTA-licensed laboratory using ELISA assays. Sleep hormone Melatonin and stress hormone Cortisol provide information about circadian rhythm misalignment and related sleep disorders. Sex hormones Progesterone and Oestradiol provide information about menopause/menstrual cycle which can affect sleep.
If you have any questions or would like to arrange a sleep assessment, please email us at sws@ntu.ac.uk or telephone: 0115 848 6333.