(Image credit: Kobiz Media/Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean scientists have developed a “sleep pattern” that allows shift workers to stay awake at their preferred time.
A joint research team from Samsung Medical Center, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Institute of Basic Science (IBS) said Monday it has created a mathematical model capable of predicting sleep arousal in real-time by calculating factors such as circadian rhythms and sleep pressure.
The model has been crafted to precisely simulate the fluctuations in circadian rhythms and sleep pressure that arise from the work and sleep patterns of shift workers. This simulation enables the prediction of states of wakefulness.
Leveraging the mathematical model, the researchers forecasted alertness levels for specific sleep patterns prior to evening and night shifts. These predictions were then compared against various sleep patterns.
The findings demonstrated that instead of attempting to squeeze in sleep immediately before or after a night shift, optimal alertness during the shift is maintained by obtaining the minimum required amount of sleep to align with circadian rhythms after work, followed by a substantial nap just before the night shift.
Moreover, the researchers identified that it was unnecessary to forcibly conform to sleep or wake times that did not align with one’s circadian rhythms.
The team said it is in the process of developing an app that incorporates the mathematical model employed in the study to actualize the implementation of this adaptive bio-partitioned sleep intervention in real-world scenarios.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
