Sleep analysis based on hypnographic descriptors

Methods are applied in sleep analysis which are based on the computation of hypnoqraphic descriptors, i.e. parameters, derived from the EEG signal, which, averaged over suitable epochs, provide curves whose time courses are directly comparable with the visual hypnogram. One of the advantages of such methods is that they provide a considerable data reduction. The aim of the present study is to establish criteria which can be used to classify and measure hypnographic descriptors.