Sleep Quality & Carbon Dioxide: What’s The Link? The VDA Case

21/11/2023

Prolonged and uninterrupted sleep allows the brain to restore its optimal conditions, so that upon awakening all daily activities can be performed in the best possible way.

However, if the brain is deprived of the amount of sleep it biologically needs, the glymphatic system does not have time to carry out its usual “cleaning and restoring” functions. The glymphatic system, formed by glial cells, is responsible for the removal of waste substances, such as toxins, in the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals.

For adults (24-65 years), the minimum recommended amount of sleep is 7 hours, although recent studies have found a difference between men and women, with the latter needing more sleep time. For both categories, sleep deprivation causes an accumulation of toxins, which in turn has consequences on cognitive performance and behavior.

Graph showing the link between CO2 levels in the air we breathe (BLUE) and sleep quality (GREEN), as measured by our set of algorithms. ©Strobilo

But how can we scientifically measure sleep quality, if it’s possible? In the last couple of years, Strobilo has installed air quality monitoring devices in hotel rooms (both in Italy and abroad) to detect a number of environmental settings. Based on the data collected (CO2 and noise levels, etc. ), our neuroscientists are able to assess the quality of the guests’ sleep.

During one of our monitoring sessions conducted for VDA-telkonet at a well-known hotel in Rome, for example, we observed that, as carbon dioxide (CO2) started to fill up one of the guest rooms, the ©Sleep Quality Index (Strobilo’s KPI) tended to decrease. This is because, as neuroscientific literature already reports, a high concentration of CO2 in the air we breathe can negatively affect brain health and thus sleep quality, too.

The graph above, displaying the statistics for our monitoring session, shows that the SQI (GREEN) seemed to “recover” at around 01:00 a. m., as soon as hotel management undertook a series of actions to improve the atmosphere in the room, such as activating air circulation through home automation systems.

And this is where our partner VDA comes into play, as the company has been dealing with Guest Room Management Systems for years now. Strobilo’s goal, together with our partners and providers in the hospitality industry, is to improve guests’ comfort experience, by assessing their sleep quality and their brain’s overall conditions.