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The effect of robot interventions on sleep in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Department of Social and Psychological Studies (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5749-0774
Karlstad University, Faculty of Health, Science and Technology (starting 2013), Department of Health Sciences (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7872-5808
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Karlstad Business School (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7143-8793
2022 (English)In: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM), ISSN 1550-9389, E-ISSN 1550-9397, Vol. 18, no 7, p. 1877-1884Article, review/survey (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Study Objectives: Robotic pets or companion robots have demonstrated positive effects on several emotional and physiological factors in humans. Robots could constitute a complementary or alternative method to treat sleep problems, but individual studies on robots' effectiveness regarding sleep show mixed results. The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of robots, plush toys, and treatment as usual on sleep in adults. Methods: The current study is a systematic review and frequentist network meta-analysis of all randomized and cluster randomized controlled trials comparing the effects of robots, plush toys, and treatment as usual on total sleep time in adults. Results: Four studies were included in the analysis. Three studies were considered to have a high risk of bias, whereas one was rated with some concerns. The studies comprised 381 participants. These participants were older adults, with or without dementia, living in nursing homes. The total sleep time was the only common sleep measure included in all 4 studies. The network meta-analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the 3 experimental groups. Conclusions: The robot interventions were not found to have positive effects on total sleep time in older adults compared with plush toys or treatment as usual. Future studies should use robots especially made to target sleep, include a thorough screening of the participants, and exclude people with adequate sleep, select appropriate sleep measures, and report the results appropriately for future meta-analyses.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Academy of Sleep Medicine , 2022. Vol. 18, no 7, p. 1877-1884
Keywords [en]
companion robot, network meta-analysis, plush toy, randomized controlled trial, robot, service robot, robotic pets, sleep, social robot, systematic review
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-91530DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.10022ISI: 000823115600019PubMedID: 35404223Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85133215210OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-91530DiVA, id: diva2:1688845
Available from: 2022-08-19 Created: 2022-08-19 Last updated: 2023-10-12Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Lean, mean sleep machine?: Effects and experiences of a sleep robot intervention for adults with insomnia
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Lean, mean sleep machine?: Effects and experiences of a sleep robot intervention for adults with insomnia
2024 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Many adults suffer from insomnia disorder, struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep, or with early morning awakenings. Hyperarousal is an important predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factor to insomnia. Anxiety, depression and ADHD are common comorbid disorders, with shared cognitive, behavioral, genetic, and neurological features. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the gold-standard treatment, more effective and economical than pharmacological treatments, though not suitable or available for everyone. Unfortunately, sleeping pills are still more common than CBT-I, despite known risks. One potential treatment avenue is consumer sleep technology, including interventional sleep robots. 

This thesis aimed to assess the safety, acceptability, effects, and experiences of a commercial sleep robot for insomnia in adults. Overall, the thesis does not strongly support the sleep robot as an effective insomnia treatment. The intervention might not have addressed important precipitating factors of the participants’ insomnia, and the robot’s impact on stress reactivity and other potentially important factors remain uncertain. Until more robust research studies are conducted, the current sleep robot intervention should not be considered an evidence-based treatment for adults with insomnia.

Abstract [en]

Many adults suffer from insomnia disorder, which entails a difficulty initiating sleep and maintaining sleep, or undesired early morning awakenings coupled with trouble going back to sleep. Hyperarousal is an important causal and maintaining factor in insomnia. Furthermore, comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD are common. The first line treatment of insomnia is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which has been found to be more effective and economical than pharmaceuticals, albeit not suitable or available for all. Sleeping pills are still the most common treatments of insomnia, which is unfortunate due to established risks. Thus, research on credible treatment options is warranted. One potential type of treatment is consumer sleep technology. The current thesis aimed to assess the safety, acceptability, effects, and experiences of the Somnox sleep robot in adults with insomnia.

Overall, the findings from the studies included in the thesis were not strongly in support of the Somnox sleep robot effectively alleviating symptoms of insomnia in adults. To further improve the understanding of the efficiency of technological devices in reducing arousal, future studies could investigate their impact on stress reactivity levels in participants (as opposed to a generalized hyperarousal), with or without prior stress inducement. There is a lack of empirical evidence on whether relaxation techniques actually improve participants’ sleep. It is also possible that the robot could improve sleep through means other than reducing arousal (e.g., stimulus control). Additionally, without measuring participants’ breathing, it is unclear if potentially reduced arousal is due to more adaptive breathing. Nonetheless, it is important to assess first whether the intervention has any effects at all. Until there is substantial evidence from more studies that demonstrate its efficacy, the Somnox sleep robot should not be considered an evidence-based treatment of insomnia.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlstad: Karlstads universitet, 2024. p. 85
Series
Karlstad University Studies, ISSN 1403-8099 ; 2023:29
Keywords
ADHD, anxiety, depression, hyperarousal, insomnia, robot, sleep
National Category
Applied Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-96957 (URN)978-91-7867-406-0 (ISBN)978-91-7867-407-7 (ISBN)
Public defence
2023-01-12, 1B309 Sjöströmsalen, Universitetsgatan 2, Karlstad, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2023-12-01 Created: 2023-10-11 Last updated: 2023-12-01Bibliographically approved

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Störe, Siri JakobssonBeckman, LindaJakobsson, Niklas

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