A comparison between Actigraph-GT9X Link and Actiwatch 2, by analyzing different sleep variables

Abstract: Sleep is very important for health and academic performance. The amount of sleep is variable and depends among other things, on the age of the individual. Today there are many varieties of motion sensors that can be used in healthcare and clinical research for sleep registration, such as Actigraph GT9X Link and Actiwatch 2. The purpose of this study was to compare these two sensors, Actigraph and Actiwatch, for sleep registration by analyzing different sleep variables. The more precise sensor of the two will be used in the Energymetabolic laboratory in the case of survey or research. The method involved participants wearing both sensors for two nights and one day and trying to live as normal as possible. A sleep diary was used to complete the registrations, with related questions about sleep. There were 17 healthy participants between the ages 21 and 31. The results showed that the registrations from both sensors have varying spread and deviations. Overall the results were similar between the sensors and the sleep diary, and it was shown that there is no significant difference between the sensors. However, Actigraph deviated on most occasions from the diary. The Energymetabolic laboratory have access to many Actigraph GT9X Link sensors. This means that an evaluation has to be made to decide whether the cost of replacing the Actigraph GT9X Link sensors with Actiwatch 2 is worth it for the small improvement in precision.