Using Wearables & Fitness Trackers During Sleep Can Predict Future Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease

The use of a wearable accelerometer during sleep—be it a research accelerometer or an accelerometer built into an existing fitness tracker—may help predict and detect the onset of Parkinson’s disease with up to 92.9% accuracy. In a recent study with more than 80 participants who wore an accelerometer for at least 14 nights, the devices were able to detect abnormal muscle twitches during REM sleep, a condition that can lead to violent dream enactment episodes, also known as isolated rapid-eye-movement sleep behavior disorder. The condition is an early symptom associated with Parkinson’s disease . . .