METHOD OF CUSTOMIZING A SLEEP TREATMENT
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a method of customizing a sleep treatment for a user. More specifically, the disclosure relates a method of customizing a sleep treatment for a user according to the introductory parts of claim 1. The invention further relates to a computer program, a computer readable storage, a computing arrangement, and a system for performing the method.
Background art
Sleep treatments are known in the art as treatment of patients having sleep disorder or sleep related problems. The treatment is performed by a psychologist often called a sleep coach when working with sleep treatments. During a typical treatment a patient is interviewed by the sleep coach and gets a sleep diary to document the sleep behavior of the patient. The sleep coach will during the treatment study the documented sleep behavior and present treatment advise and ordinate medication. The treatment advise is based on what the sleep coach can identify in the sleep behavior in relation to general knowledge in the field of sleep treatment and disorder.
A problem with sleep treatments and sleep coaching is that it is time consuming for both the patient and the sleep coach and thereby expensive.
As the sleep coach is a psychologist, i.e. an academic with a high degree, the professional labor cost is a major factor in the cost for sleep coaching. There is thus a need for an improved method to treat sleep disorders. Summary
It is an object to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and solve at least the above mentioned problem. According to a first aspect there is provided a method of customizing a sleep treatment for a user, comprising receiving input regarding the sleep behavior of the user, wherein the input is user notes regarding sleep behavior, e.g. saved in a sleep diary, automatically analyzing the input to identify a user specific sleep pattern, retrieving at least one sleep treatment step from a database based on the identified sleep pattern, and generating the customized sleep treatment based on the at least one sleep treatment step. In this way the sleep treatment is to large extent automated and the time input needed from a sleep coach is reduced making the sleep treatment cheaper. The time input needed from a sleep coach is reduced with up to 75%.
The input from the user may be statements and notes of the time when the user went to sleep, the duration and the experienced sleep quality. It could further be how many times the user woke up during the sleep etc. The information may be saved in a sleep diary that is kept local at the user, on a server or at the system overseeing and generating the sleep treatment.
The input from the user may be retrieved via the sleep diary. As sleep treatment is to large extent automated and thereby is easier for the sleep coach, it may also be possible to reduce the educational requirements for the sleep coach. A psychologist may e.g. not always be needed, thereby reducing the cost of the sleep treatment.
According to some embodiments, the step of automatically analyzing the input is based on an algorithm. The algorithm is preferably based on sleep behavior theory and uses pattern recognition of the sleep recorded in the sleep diary to identify the user specific sleep pattern, further minimizing the input needed from a sleep coach.
According to some embodiments, the method further comprises the steps of asking the user for sleep behavior as input for the sleep diary using a computerized voice, interpreting the answer using voice recognition, and saving the answer to the sleep diary.
The sleep diary is thus a digital sleep diary located at a device by the user or at a network server. The computerized voice will ask the user about the information needed for filling out the form of the sleep diary. The user’s answer will be recorded, interpreted using voice recognition, and written down in the sleep diary. The method may then use the diary for customizing the sleep treatment for the user as described herein. According to some embodiments, the method further comprises providing the customized sleep treatment to the customer, retrieving secondary input regarding the sleep behavior of the user when undergoing the sleep treatment, automatically analyzing the secondary input to identify a second user specific sleep pattern, retrieving at least one sleep treatment step from a database based on the identified sleep pattern, and generating an updated customized sleep treatment based on the at least one sleep treatment step. By iterating the method, the response of the user is retrieved and an updated customized sleep treatment may be provided to the user. By performing this iteration step every week a more or less continuous change of the sleep treatment is achieved with a minimized input from a sleep coach. The input from the sleep coach could e.g. be to check the generated customized sleep treatment in cases where the pattern recognition does not find a perfect fit for the sleep behavior in the database. The iteration also reduces the total time of the treatment to a large extent, up to a 70% reduction.
According to some embodiments, the step of generating the
customized sleep treatment or updated customized sleep treatment is automatically performed. The time input needed from a sleep coach is then further reduced or even eliminated.
According to some embodiments, the step of generating the
customized sleep treatment or updated customized sleep treatment is manually performed. In cases where pattern recognition is not possible or not easy to perform it may be needed to make the customized sleep treatment manually.
According to some embodiments, further comprising automatically generating a report of the retrieved secondary input regarding the sleep behavior of a user, the report being intended for a professional sleep coach. By presenting the input from the user sleep behavior, as written down in the sleep diary, to the sleep coach, e.g. via a back-end program interface, the sleep coach can reduce time spent.
According to some embodiments, the step of receiving input is preceded by the steps of receiving sleep related problem information, automatically analyzing the sleep related problem information to detect a problem pattern, retrieving at least one sleep diary component from a database based on the identified problem pattern, and generating a customized sleep diary based on the identified problem pattern. The problem pattern may result in retrieving a number of components for the sleep treatment from the database, wherein the specific components that are retrieved from the database are based on the identified problem pattern defining the sleep problems of the user.
According to a second aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions adapted to carry out the embodiments discussed above when executed by a device having processing capability.
According to a third aspect there is provided a computer readable storage medium or memory storage unit comprising a computer program product.
According to a fourth aspect there is provided a computing
arrangement or mobile device comprising the computer readable storage medium, wherein the computing arrangement or mobile apparatus is arranged to execute the computer program product.
According to a fifth aspect there is provided a system for sleep treatment comprising the computing arrangement or mobile device according to the fourth embodiment, comprising a sleep diary, the user computing device comprising communication means for communicating with the computing arrangement or mobile device. According to some embodiments, the system further comprises a user interface for presenting the customized sleep treatment to the user. The user interface may be a display, a voice talking to the user or a combination of display and audio.
According to some embodiments the system includes an audio interface device comprising a microphone, a speaker, and network communication means, wherein the device is arranged for verbal
communication between the computing arrangement and the user. The audio interface device may e.g. be a home automation device. The advantage of using a home automation device is that the user may use a voice interface that is otherwise used for controlling the home. The sleep treatment interface is thereby seamlessly integrated with the intelligent home system. The system will ask the user for information about the sleep quality, i.e. input regarding sleep behavior, in the morning and automatically fill out a digital sleep diary based on the answers that the user give verbally. The method for customizing a sleep treatment may then retrieve information regarding the user’s sleep behavior from the sleep diary whenever the automatic system needs the information.
Effects and features of the second, third, fourth and fifth aspects are largely analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second aspect and third aspects. It is further noted that the inventive concepts relate to all possible combinations of features unless explicitly stated otherwise.
A further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given below. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
Hence, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described as such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words "comprising", "including", "containing" and similar wordings does not exclude other elements or steps. Brief descriptions of the drawings
The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the method for customizing a sleep treatment according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a block diagram of a further embodiment of the method for customizing a sleep treatment according to the invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of the system for customizing sleep treatment according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a schematic drawing of the system for customizing sleep treatment according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Detailed description
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the invention to the skilled person.
Figure 1 shows a method of customizing a sleep treatment for a user. The method comprises receiving S1 input regarding the sleep behavior of the user, e.g. via a sleep diary, automatically analyzing S2 the input to identify a user specific sleep pattern, retrieving S3 at least one sleep treatment step from a database based on the identified sleep pattern, and generating S4 the customized sleep treatment based on the at least one sleep treatment step. The sleep treatment is to large extent automated and the time input needed from a sleep coach is reduced making the sleep treatment cheaper. The step of automatically analyzing the input is based on an algorithm using pattern recognition to identify the user specific sleep pattern.
The customized sleep treatment contains sleep related advice and treatment steps to be executed by the user. It may be a schedule for when to sleep each night and for how long periods the patient should try to sleep.
Figure 2 shows further embodiment of the method shown in Figure 1. The method further comprises providing S5 the customized sleep treatment to the customer, retrieving S1 secondary input regarding the sleep behavior of the user when undergoing the sleep treatment, automatically S2 analyzing the secondary input to identify a second user specific sleep pattern, retrieving S3 at least one sleep treatment step from a database based on the identified sleep pattern, and generating S4 an updated customized sleep treatment based on the at least one sleep treatment step. As can be seen in the methods from Figure 1 are repeated or iterated with the new secondary input regarding the sleep behavior of the user when undergoing the sleep treatment from the first loop in the iteration process in which the first customized sleep treatment was generated. The customized sleep treatment is thus improved during the second run of the iteration resulting in an updated customized sleep treatment.
The method may further be iterated an arbitrary number of times. Each time the sleep treatment is iterated the customized sleep treatment is updated and improved. The method is preferably iterated at a predetermined interval, e.g. each week to update and improve the customized sleep treatment. The customized sleep treatment may for each step S5 of providing the customized sleep treatment to the customer contain new advice, schedules and feedback on the reported sleep. This iteration reduces the total time of the treatment to a large extent.
The step of generating the customized sleep treatment or updated customized sleep treatment can be automatically performed by a computer but also is manually generated by a sleep coach. In the latter case the sleep coach has a backend in a software for retrieving the first and secondary input regarding the sleep behavior of a user.
The step of receiving input may be preceded by the steps of receiving sleep related problem information, automatically analyzing the sleep related problem information to detect a problem pattern, retrieving at least one sleep diary component from a database based on the identified problem pattern, and generating a customized sleep diary based on the identified problem pattern. The treatment is easy to implement by the user in need of sleep treatment by simply following the customized sleep treatment schedule and filling in the automatically created sleep diary with how the user slept.
Figure 3 shows a system 1 for sleep treatment comprising the computing arrangement or mobile device 2, a user computing device 4 comprising a sleep diary, the user computing device 4 comprising
communication means for communicating with the computing arrangement or mobile device 2. As seen in Figure 3 the user computing device 4 may be a tablet computer or mobile phone for presenting the customized sleep treatment to the user and for filling out the sleep diary with actual sleep history. For the computing device 4 to receive the customized sleep diary and to communicate the sleep diary to the computing arrangement 2 performing the sleep analysis, it needs to have communications means to communicate with the computing arrangement 2. This may be performed via a network 3 as the Internet or any other suitable network. The computing arrangement 2 is preferably a server connected to the Internet and may be placed at the specialist overseeing the system that performs the method of customizing a sleep treatment for a user.
It is further shown in Figure 3 that the computing arrangement 2 has a memory 6 for storing the steps S1 -S4 or S1 -S5 of the method of customizing a sleep treatment for a user as a computer program executed by the computing arrangement 2. Patterns for sleep behavior to use in the pattern recognition in step S2 are stored in the database 5 and are accessible for the computing arrangement 2. Sleep treatment steps for building the customized sleep treatment are further also stored in the database 5. In Figure 3 the database 5 is in direct wired connection with the computing arrangement 2. However, as also shown in Figure 3, the database 5 is may also be in connection to the network 3 for network connection to the computing arrangement 2 instead. The database 5 may also store the sleep diary and the customized sleep treatment for the user.
Figure 4 shows the system 1 with an audio interface device 7 comprising a microphone, a speaker, and network communication means, wherein the device is arranged for verbal communication between the computing arrangement and the user. The audio interface device may be used instead of or as a complement to the the user computing device 4 shown in Figure 3. The audio interface device 7 may be a home automation device for allowing the system to use speech as communication of sleep treatment and for receiving input regarding the sleep behavior of the user.
The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, it is understood that the method and system shown in Figures 1-4 can have many users where each user will receive a personally customized sleep treatment from the method and/or system. It is further understood that any device able to communicate via a display or verbally (with speaker and microphone) may be used in the system to retrieve sleep behavior information from the user. A mobile smartphone can e.g. either be used to fill out the sleep diary using a graphical user interphase or it can be used for verbal communication directly with the system via a computerized voice and voice recognition.
Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.