Sleep and Recovery After Stroke

Sleep and Stroke Rehabilitation Study

This study will test whether wearable devices and overnight breathing recordings can find sleep problems like sleep apnea and show how those problems affect people three months after an ischemic stroke.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 226 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Region Skane (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Lund, Skåne County)
• Trial ID: NCT07579871 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Researchers will enroll consecutive adults with a first ischemic stroke from Skåne and Blekinge and evaluate them three months after their event. Participants will complete questionnaires, wear an actigraph and a commercial smartwatch for one week, and undergo an overnight home respiratory recording to identify sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. The study will relate sleep findings to physical and mental health, fatigue, quality of life, cognition, and daily physical activity and will examine which clinical features and wearable-derived data predict sleep apnea. Results will inform which patients might need clinical sleep assessments and how sleep disorders influence recovery after stroke.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults with a first ischemic stroke who are about three months post-stroke, able to consent and to wear monitoring devices, and reachable for follow-up in the Skåne/Blekinge region are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients with very limited expected survival, severe motor or cognitive impairment that prevents wearing home sleep monitoring even with help, or insufficient Swedish language understanding that cannot be bridged are unlikely to benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the project could enable earlier identification of sleep apnea and other sleep problems after stroke using accessible wearable data, allowing more targeted treatment and potentially improving recovery and quality of life.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research has shown sleep apnea is common after stroke and that actigraphy and home respiratory recordings can detect sleep problems, but using consumer smartwatches to predict sleep apnea in stroke populations is relatively new.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ischemic stroke.
* First time stroke.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Short expected survival.
* Unable to carry HSAT equipment (e.g., gel nails; the patient is wearing other medical devices; motor or cognitive impairment without the possibility of assistance from healthcare staff or relatives).
* Reduced understanding of the project due to insufficient Swedish, which cannot be bridged with an interpreter.

Where this trial is running

Lund, Skåne County

• Skånes Universitetssjukhus, SUS — Lund, Skåne County, Sweden (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Malin E. a. K. Gustafsson, M.D., Ph.D.

Conditions: Stroke, Sleep Apnea Syndrome, Insomnia, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, actigraphy, HSAT, Quality of life, rehabilitation