Do you suffer with the nightmare that is restless sleep? Smart pyjamas could ...

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Could ‘smart’ pyjamas help you get a better night’s sleep? That’s the theory behind a new garment designed by U.S. engineers.

‘Phyjama’ is embedded with sensors that continuously monitor heart rate, breathing and posture — factors that affect how well a person sleeps.

The researchers, who presented their results at the American Chemical Society conference, say the data could give the wearer, as well as doctors, useful information to help improve sleep patterns and even spot sleep disorders.

Getting the right amount of quality sleep can protect against stress, infections and diseases, including heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Good quality sleep also increases mental sharpness and improves decision-making. But research suggests that up to one in three people suffers with insomnia at some time, with conditions such as type 2 diabetes and ageing significantly increasing the risk.

The new pyjamas mean people do not have to spend the night in a sleep lab in order to be assessed.

The garment, developed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in the U.S., has five textile patches with sensors spread around the lining of the jacket.

The patches are connected to each other via silver nylon threads covered in cotton — they are in turn linked to a tiny circuit board that forms part of one of the buttons on the pyjama top.

Four of the sensors detect pressure, such as that of a bed against the sleeper’s body, to determine movements and sleep position.

The fifth sensor picks up heart and breathing rates, which may reveal how well a person is sleeping and could help spot a sleep disorder, for example.

The breathing pattern can show if someone has sleep apnoea, where the walls of the throat relax during sleep and interrupt normal breathing.

Data from the

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