A Novel, Open Access Method to Assess Sleep Duration Using a Wrist-Worn Accelerometer

Wrist-worn accelerometers are increasingly being used for the assessment of physical activity in population studies, but little is known about their value for sleep assessment. We developed a novel method of assessing sleep duration using data from 4,094 Whitehall II Study (United Kingdom, 2012-2013) participants aged 60-83 who wore the accelerometer for 9 consecutive days, filled in a sleep log and reported sleep duration via questionnaire. Our sleep detection algorithm defined (nocturnal) sleep as a period of sustained inactivity, itself detected as the absence of change in arm angle greater than 5 degrees for 5 minutes or more, during a period recorded as sleep by the participant in their sleep log. The…

• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research

  Award: R01AG034454
• BH
  British Heart Foundation

  Awards: R01AG034454, K013351, R01AG013196
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: R01HL036310, R01AG013196, R01AG013196; R01AG034454; R01HL036310, R01AG034454
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Awards: MR/K013351/1, K013351, MR/K006312/1, R01AG034454
• EA
  Economic and Social Research Council

  Awards: R01AG034454, R01HL036310, ES/J023299/1, ES/J023299, J023299