Reliability of Actigraphy and Subjective Sleep Measurements in Adults: The Design of Sleep Assessments

Overview

Journal J Clin Sleep Med

Specialties Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2016 Oct 7

PMID 27707448

Citations 93

Authors

Katarina Aili

Sofia Astrom-Paulsson

Ulrich Stoetzer

Magnus Svartengren

Lena Hillert

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Study Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate how many nights of measurement are needed for a reliable measure of sleep in a working population including adult women and men.

Methods: In all, 54 individuals participated in the study. Sleep was assessed for 7 consecutive nights using actigraphy as an objective measure, and the Karolinska sleep diary for a subjective measure of quality. Using intra-class correlation and the Spearman-Brown formula, calculations of how many nights of measurements were required for a reliable measure were performed. Differences in reliability according to whether or not weekend measurements were included were investigated. Further, the correlation between objectively (actigraphy) measured sleep and subjectively measured sleep quality was studied over the different days of the week.

Results/conclusions: The results concerning actigraphy sleep measures suggest that data from at least 2 nights are to be recommended when assessing sleep percent and at least 5 nights when assessing sleep efficiency. For actigraphy-measured total sleep time, more than 7 nights are needed. At least 6 nights of measurements are required for a reliable measure of self-reported sleep. Fewer nights (days) are required if measurements include only week nights. Overall, there was a low correlation between the investigated actigraphy sleep parameters and subjective sleep quality, suggesting that the two methods of measurement capture different dimensions of sleep.

Citing Articles

Self-Criticism as a Moderator of the Link between Daily Sleep and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury.

Kuburi S, Wu Z, Orbillo T, Sadeghi A, Hamza C J Youth Adolesc. 2025; .

PMID: 40021587 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-025-02161-4.

Using a Consumer Wearable Activity Monitoring Device to Study Physical Activity and Sleep Among Adolescents in Project Viva: Cohort Study.

Zhang Y, Bornkamp N, Hivert M, Oken E, James P JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2025; 8:e59159.

PMID: 39903900 PMC: 11813160. DOI: 10.2196/59159.

The sleep for health study: A randomized clinical trial of the impact of insomnia treatment on glycemia in people with prediabetes.

LeBlanc E, Smith N, Hwang D, Young D, Oshiro C, Mayhew M Contemp Clin Trials. 2024; 149:107796.

PMID: 39730078 PMC: 11788072. DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107796.

Characterising the inconsistency between perceived and actual sleep and its impact upon cognition and mood.

Windmill H, Dyer A, Smith A, Roser M, Dhanda A, Hall S Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):29342.

PMID: 39592657 PMC: 11599777. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-80683-w.

A replicate crossover trial on the interindividual variability of sleep indices in response to acute exercise undertaken by healthy men.

Yang Y, Thackray A, Shen T, Alotaibi T, Alanazi T, Clifford T Sleep. 2024; 48(3).

PMID: 39446630 PMC: 11893541. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae250.

References

Jackowska M, Dockray S, Hendrickx H, Steptoe A . Psychosocial factors and sleep efficiency: discrepancies between subjective and objective evaluations of sleep. Psychosom Med. 2011; 73(9):810-6. DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182359e77. View

Laugsand L, Vatten L, Platou C, Janszky I . Insomnia and the risk of acute myocardial infarction: a population study. Circulation. 2011; 124(19):2073-81. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.025858. View

Acebo C, Sadeh A, Seifer R, Tzischinsky O, Wolfson A, Hafer A . Estimating sleep patterns with activity monitoring in children and adolescents: how many nights are necessary for reliable measures?. Sleep. 1999; 22(1):95-103. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/22.1.95. View

Davies K, Macfarlane G, Nicholl B, Dickens C, Morriss R, Ray D . Restorative sleep predicts the resolution of chronic widespread pain: results from the EPIFUND study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2008; 47(12):1809-13. PMC: 2582170. DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/ken389. View

Keklund G, Akerstedt T . Objective components of individual differences in subjective sleep quality. J Sleep Res. 1998; 6(4):217-20. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.1997.00217.x. View

Akerstedt T, Kecklund G, Gillberg M . Sleep and sleepiness in relation to stress and displaced work hours. Physiol Behav. 2007; 92(1-2):250-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.044. View

Sadeh A, Hauri P, Kripke D, Lavie P . The role of actigraphy in the evaluation of sleep disorders. Sleep. 1995; 18(4):288-302. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/18.4.288. View

Zigmond A, SNAITH R . The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1983; 67(6):361-70. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb09716.x. View

Akerstedt , Hume , Minors , Waterhouse . The meaning of good sleep: a longitudinal study of polysomnography and subjective sleep quality. J Sleep Res. 1994; 3(3):152-158. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.1994.tb00122.x. View

10.

Buysse D, Hall M, Strollo P, Kamarck T, Owens J, Lee L . Relationships between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and clinical/polysomnographic measures in a community sample. J Clin Sleep Med. 2008; 4(6):563-71. PMC: 2603534. View

11.

Sadeh A . The role and validity of actigraphy in sleep medicine: an update. Sleep Med Rev. 2011; 15(4):259-67. DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2010.10.001. View

12.

Mezick E, Matthews K, Hall M, Kamarck T, Buysse D, Owens J . Intra-individual variability in sleep duration and fragmentation: associations with stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009; 34(9):1346-54. PMC: 2743778. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.04.005. View

13.

Akerstedt T, Garefelt J, Richter A, Westerlund H, Magnusson Hanson L, Sverke M . Work and Sleep--A Prospective Study of Psychosocial Work Factors, Physical Work Factors, and Work Scheduling. Sleep. 2015; 38(7):1129-36. PMC: 4481008. DOI: 10.5665/sleep.4828. View

14.

Akerstedt T, Kecklund G, Alfredsson L, Selen J . Predicting long-term sickness absence from sleep and fatigue. J Sleep Res. 2007; 16(4):341-5. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00609.x. View

15.

Knutson K, Rathouz P, Yan L, Liu K, Lauderdale D . Intra-individual daily and yearly variability in actigraphically recorded sleep measures: the CARDIA study. Sleep. 2007; 30(6):793-6. PMC: 1978344. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/30.6.793. View

16.

Girschik J, Fritschi L, Heyworth J, Waters F . Validation of self-reported sleep against actigraphy. J Epidemiol. 2012; 22(5):462-8. PMC: 3798642. DOI: 10.2188/jea.je20120012. View

17.

Aili K, Nyman T, Svartengren M, Hillert L . Sleep as a predictive factor for the onset and resolution of multi-site pain: a 5-year prospective study. Eur J Pain. 2014; 19(3):341-9. PMC: 4359680. DOI: 10.1002/ejp.552. View

18.

Melamed S, Shirom A, Toker S, Shapira I . Burnout and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective study of apparently healthy employed persons. Psychosom Med. 2006; 68(6):863-9. DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000242860.24009.f0. View

19.

Shrout P, Fleiss J . Intraclass correlations: uses in assessing rater reliability. Psychol Bull. 1979; 86(2):420-8. DOI: 10.1037//0033-2909.86.2.420. View

20.

Akerstedt T, Hume K, Minors D, Waterhouse J . The subjective meaning of good sleep, an intraindividual approach using the Karolinska Sleep Diary. Percept Mot Skills. 1994; 79(1 Pt 1):287-96. DOI: 10.2466/pms.1994.79.1.287. View