Nocturnal vestibular stimulation using a rocking bed improves a severe sleep disorder in a patient with mitochondrial disease

© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Sleep Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Sleep Research Society..

Mitochondrial diseases are rare genetic disorders often accompanied by severe sleep disorders. We present the case of a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with a severe primary mitochondrial disease, exhibiting ataxia, spasticity, progressive external ophthalmoplegia, cardiomyopathy and severely disrupted sleep, but no cognitive impairment. Interestingly, his parents reported improved sleep during night train rides. Based on this observation, we installed a rocking bed in the patient's bedroom and performed different interventions, including immersive multimodal vestibular, kinesthetic and auditory stimuli, reminiscent of the sensory experiences encountered during train rides. Over a 5-month period, we conducted four 2-week nocturnal interventions, separated by 1-week washout phases, to determine the subjectively best-perceived stimulation parameters, followed by a final 4-week intervention using the optimal parameters. We assessed sleep duration and quality using the Mini Sleep Questionnaire, monitored pulse rate changes and used videography to document nocturnal interactions between the patient and caregivers. Patient-reported outcome measures, clinical examinations and personal outcomes of specific interests were used to document daytime sleepiness, restlessness, anxiety, fatigue, cognitive performance and physical posture. In the final 4-week intervention, sleep duration increased by 25%, required caregiver interactions reduced by 75%, and caregiving time decreased by 40%. Subjective fatigue, assessed by the Checklist Individual Strength, decreased by 40%, falling below the threshold of severe fatigue. Our study suggests that rocking beds could provide a promising treatment regime for selected patients with persistent severe sleep disorders. Further research is required to validate these findings in larger patient populations with sleep disorders and other conditions.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - year:2024

Enthalten in:

Journal of sleep research - (2024) vom: 18. März, Seite e14153

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Breuss, Alexander [VerfasserIn]
Strasser, Marco [VerfasserIn]
Nuoffer, Jean-Marc [VerfasserIn]
Klein, Andrea [VerfasserIn]
Perret-Hoigné, Eveline [VerfasserIn]
Felder, Christine [VerfasserIn]
Stauffer, Ruth [VerfasserIn]
Wolf, Peter [VerfasserIn]
Riener, Robert [VerfasserIn]
Gautschi, Matthias [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Alternative treatment
Auditory stimulations
Journal Article
Kinesthetic stimulation
Mitochondrial disease
Mitochondrial disease management
Mitochondrial disease with an associated severe sleep disorder
Robotic bed
Rocking bed
Sensory experiences
Sleep disorder
Somnomat Casa
Stimulation
Vestibular stimulation

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 19.03.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status Publisher

doi:

10.1111/jsr.14153

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM369895959