G.V. Kovrov1, L.S. Stulova2, O.I. Uss3, A.G. Chernikova4

1–4 State Scientific center of the Russian Federation – Institute of Medical and Biological problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia)

1 kgv2006@yandex.ru, 2 lidastulova@gmail.com, 3 uss.oleg@gmail.com, 4 anna.imbp@mail.ru

The state of daytime sleepiness during wakefulness and professional activity increases the risk of emergency situations. Actigraphy is almost never used in the daytime sleepiness diagnosis, and existing algorithms use strict presets and are usually limited to counting the number of movements without specifying their amplitude. The search for new methods to monitor and detect this condition timely is an important task. The conditions of head-down bed rest are a good model for actigraphic research of the daytime sleepiness phenomenon under conditions of physical inactivity.

The purpose of the work is to find informative characteristics of motor activity during the daytime, allowing one to characterize a person’s state as drowsy or not drowsy.

The "Cardioson" device was used as an actigraph. The device was placed under the bed mattress in the projection of the chest area. The time above threshold method was proposed for counting movements. The algorithm was adaptive, since the amplitude threshold was calculated for each registered signal, and was not set in advance.

A threshold for identifying episodes of significant motor activity lasting at least 1 sec, was determined on the analysis of the signal amplitudes histogram. The episodes with strength less than 300% of the average signal value were removed from consideration. High (strong) and low (light) amplitude movements were identified as follows. The identified movement was defined as weak if the signal amplitude exceeded the average signal level by more than 300% but less than 1000%. A movement whose strength exceeded the average signal level by more than 1000% was considered a strong movement.

Analysis of motor activity under head-down bed rest conditions using an adaptive algorithm for counting movements and classifying them by intensity (amplitude) confirmed that the state of daytime sleepiness correlates with a decrease in current motor activity. It was found that in individuals reporting a presence of daytime sleepiness, the number of movements is lower than in individuals who do not report this state. The most informative indicators for identifying the state of daytime sleepiness were those associated with weak (low-amplitude) motor activity. The number, strength, and energy of weak movements in the group with sleepiness are significantly lower than in the group without sleepiness. The characteristics of strong (high-amplitude) movements in these groups do not differ.

The obtained data suggest that physical activity and its intensity reflect the presence or absence of daytime sleepiness, and it is possible to determine the variability of the alertness level during the day. These new data can be used to monitor and diagnose daytime sleepiness objectively.

Kovrov G.V., Stulova L.S., Uss O.I., Chernikova A.G. Motor activity during wakefulness in the presence and absence of daytime sleepiness under conditions of 21-day head-down bed rest. Technologies of Living Systems. 2025. V. 22. № 3. Р. 53-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j20700997-202503-06 (In Russian).

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