Actigraphy
Actigraphy is useful in clinically evaluating excessive
sleepiness. The patient wears an actimetry sensor, the size
of a wristwatch, to measure gross motor activity for up to
several weeks. A computer algorithm correlates inactivity
with sleep. Actigraphy gathers data that helps unmask any
night-to-night variability in sleep patterns.
One of the benefits of actigraphy is that it can be done at
home, rather than in a sleep laboratory where sleep patterns
can differ from a patient’s usual experiences. It is especially
useful in evaluating insomnia.