What this opportunity is
NASA is procuring 10 Nox T3 sleep-monitoring systems, including accessories and training services, through a sole source contract with Nox Health Group. This opportunity is suitable for small businesses that can demonstrate capabilities related to sleep monitoring technology, although competition is limited due to the sole source nature of the contract. Interested parties should submit their qualifications by the specified deadline to potentially influence the government's decision on competitive procurement.
Analysis by Mindy, grounded in the SAM.gov notice.
Description
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Statement of Work
Human Systems Integration Division
System furniture for N262 building offices
BACKGROUND
Project Title: Revising the Exploration Atmosphere Hypoxia Limit to Mitigate
Decompression Sickness During Surface EVA
The Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory (Human Systems Integration Division - Code TH)
will purchase 10 Nox T3 home sleep test (HST)devices used to measure respiratory
function during sleep as part of a project in collaboration with NASA JSC.
There are a number of effects of hypoxia on sleep. Respiratory function is altered during
sleep at altitude or in hypobaric chambers simulating sleep at altitude. Sleeping at
elevations as low as 1630 m can modestly increase the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and
disrupt sleep (Lashtang et al. 2013), while sleep at higher elevations induces periodic
breathing with apneas (West et al. 1986; Salvaggio et al. 1998; Reite et al. 1975). Males
appear to be much more susceptible to the negative respiratory effects experienced at
altitude, with males experiencing an increase in the apnea-hypopnea index that is more
than 10 times greater that of females at 3400 m (Lombardi et al. 2013). The respiratory
disturbances that occur at altitude usually reduce after a few nights of exposure, although
some studies suggest that it can take more than a week for symptoms to resolve in some
individuals (Lombardi et al. 2013), with it taking more than a month for some at altitudes
over 5000 m. Oxygen supplementation is an effective countermeasure for reducing
periodic breathing with apneas (Reite et al. 1975; Luks et al. 1998).
Hypoxia also appears to alter sleep architecture. Studies consistently demonstrate that
slow-wave sleep is reduced during sleep at altitude (Salvaggio et al. 1998; Selvamurthy et
al. 1986; Miller and Horvath 1977; Reite et al. 1975; Barash et al. 2001; Lashtang et al.
2013). This may because respiratory disturbances result in arousals that interfere with the
maintenance of slow-wave sleep (Reite et al. 1975; Salvaggio et al., 1998). The impact of
sleeping at altitude on other sleep stages is mixed, with most studies reporting no changes,
although two studies reported more transitions to light sleep (Reite et al., 1975; Miller and
Horvath 1977), with one study reporting a reduction in REM sleep at 4500 m (de Aquino
Lemos et al., 2012). Few studies have examined changes in sleep architecture over time at
altitude, but one study reported that the reduction in slow-wave sleep observed at 3500 m
persisted for two weeks after the return to sea level (Selvamurthy et al. 1986).
Interestingly, most studies have not found reductions in sleep duration, measured via
polysomnography or actigraphy, during sleep at altitude compared to sleep at sea level
(Salvaggio et al. 1998; Selvamurthy et al. 1986; Miller and Horvath 1977; Reite et al. 1975;
Barash et al. 2001), although one study reported a modest reduction in sleep duration after
one night in a hypobaric chamber simulation of 4500 m (de Aquino Lemos et al. 2012).
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While there are clear and measurable differences in respiratory function and sleep
architecture during sleep at altitude, the effects of altitude-related sleep disruption on
performance are less clear. Some studies have not observed changes in performance at
elevations of 1630 m, 2590 m, and 3800 m (Luks et al. 1998; Lashtang et al. 2013),
although it is possible that these null findings were due to the methodology used (e.g.,
frequency and timing of tests). A separate study found differences in several domains of
performance, including attention, working memory, executive function, inhibitory control,
and processing speed at 4500 m compared to sea level (de Aquino Lemos et al. 2012),
while a different study suggests that sleep deprivation worsens performance to a greater
extent at altitude compared to at sea level (Mertens and Collins, 1986).
Collectively, these studies highlight the importance of measuring changes in respiratory
variables during sleep, ideally also including measurement of sleep staging to assess
changes in sleep architecture. These studies also suggest that it is important to evaluate
cognition at intervals frequent enough to capture any potential impacts of sleep
disturbance on performance.
OBJECTIVE or REQUIREMENTS
Sleep-related Aims
1. We aim to characterize the impact of hypoxia on respiratory outcomes during sleep.
a. We further aim to characterize the time course of adaptation to hypoxia and
to identify interindividual or sex differences.
b. We aim to collect exploratory data on REM/NREM sleep architecture using a
novel algorithm to discriminate these global stages.
2. We aim to compare actigraphy to respiratory measures to determine whether
respiratory-related arousals can be detected through movement.
Sleep-related Methods
Respiratory outcomes. Participants will wear the Nox T3 (or a similar device) for the first
three nights and then every other night to evaluate respiratory function during sleep. This
will allow us to evaluate acute changes in respiratory function in response to hypoxia and it
will also enable us to evaluate the time course of adaptation to the hypoxic environment.
This device is frequently used by clinicians to conduct at-home sleep apnea tests, making it
easy to use compared to a traditional laboratory polysomnography. The Nox T3 has been
validated in clinical settings and is accurate and reliable for detecting apneas and
hypopneas. The apnea-hypopnea index is calculated using a validated automated scoring
algorithm. The Nox T3 does not include electroencephalography, which is the gold-
standard for measuring sleep architecture, but it does include algorithms to estimate REM
and non-REM sleep, providing some data to evaluate sleep architecture.
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Actigraphy. Participants will wear actigraphy continuously. This will enable us to compare
nights when respiratory function is not measured to nights when it is measured to …
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