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Wearable-derived sleep data clustering identifies three distinct sleep disturbance subtypes among dementia caregivers

Clustering analysis of 14-day Oura Ring sleep data from 143 dementia caregivers identified three distinct sleep disturbance subtypes: Optimal Sleep, Disturbed Onset & Maintenance, and Insufficient Sleep. Cluster 2 (Disturbed Onset & Maintenance) had the highest prevalence of comorbid conditions, while Cluster 3 (Insufficient Sleep) was predominantly male with the lowest support availability.

Last updated: Aug 21, 2026•0 RCTs•📖 Read as article →

Evidence Score

Evidence Score32/100
Human RCT☆☆☆☆☆
Meta-analysis☆☆☆☆☆
Mechanism★★★★★
Safety★★★★☆
Confidencelow

Study Evidence

Study 1. Unsupervised Learning Identifies Sleep Disturbance Subtypes Among Dementia Caregivers.

observational

Kim EA, Zhang J, Rahmani AM, Shin S, Nyamathi A, Lee JA · Nursing research (2026)

Participants: N/A
Duration: 14 days
Intervention: Unsupervised clustering analysis of wearable sleep data (no intervention)
Outcome: Sleep disturbance subtypes based on total sleep time, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and sleep onset latency; caregiver characteristics, caregiving demands, and support availability
Effect Size: N/A
Population: 143 dementia caregivers in the United States

Result:

PubMed: 42565376DOI: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000935

Mechanism Graph

Collected 14 days of Oura Ring sleep data from 143 dementia caregivers
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Computed minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation for each sleep metric
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Applied clustering analyses to identify distinct sleep disturbance subtypes
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Compared caregiver characteristics, caregiving demands, and support availability across clusters

Limitations

  • ⚠Sample size is relatively small and may not be representative of all dementia caregivers
  • ⚠Wearable sleep data may have measurement errors compared to polysomnography
  • ⚠Cross-sectional design limits causal inference

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three sleep disturbance subtypes identified in dementia caregivers?▼

The three subtypes are: Optimal Sleep (least nocturnal wakefulness, most efficient sleep), Disturbed Onset & Maintenance (greatest difficulty falling and staying asleep), and Insufficient Sleep (markedly reduced sleep duration).

How was sleep data collected in this study?▼

Sleep data were collected using Oura Ring wearable devices over a 14-day period from 143 dementia caregivers.

What distinguishes the Disturbed Onset & Maintenance subtype?▼

This subtype had the greatest difficulty both falling and staying asleep, and had the highest prevalence of comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.

What are the implications of identifying sleep disturbance subtypes?▼

Identifying subtypes can help build a risk-profiling framework that integrates sleep disturbance patterns with caregiver characteristics and support availability, enabling more precise and effective sleep interventions.

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References

  1. 1.Kim EA, Zhang J, Rahmani AM, Shin S, Nyamathi A, Lee JA. "Unsupervised Learning Identifies Sleep Disturbance Subtypes Among Dementia Caregivers.." Nursing research, 2026. PMID: 42565376 DOI: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000935
Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Evidence scores reflect the quality and quantity of available research, not clinical recommendations. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement or intervention.