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Was wondering about the topic, then realized technology would be progressing towards this if we don't have it already. Are there any consumer fitness trackers or similar devices currently on the market that could detect whether or not the wearer was experiencing microsleeps?

I HIGHLY doubt it. Not unless it's in a hospital or lab with super expensive equipment (which in that case isn't likely "wearable"). Are you worried about it or something? Seems like an odd metric to be desirable in a wearable, but what do I know.

FWIW I thought this thread about about CPU's and sleep states before seeing the content and going off just the title. No joke.

Instead of monitoring for these, just install the latest brainware update (assuming the OEM still provides updates).

Wikipedia wrote:

... where an individual fails to respond to some arbitrary sensory input and becomes unconscious

TwistedKestrel wrote:

Was wondering about the topic, then realized technology would be progressing towards this if we don't have it already. Are there any consumer fitness trackers or similar devices currently on the market that could detect whether or not the wearer was experiencing microsleeps?

This is probably possible to some extent, but I'm not aware of any products that do it. Signs like head bobbing and eye movements are easily detectable these days---hooray for cheap sensors.

On the other hand, ECG and fMRI are utterly impossible in portable tech. Those types of machines range in size from "kitchen appliance" to "walk-in closet".

This might not be possible for a watch or a smartphone, as the sensors would require constant detection of the head and face. Google Glass or a head-mounted AR kit could presumably do it.

DancinJack wrote:

Are you worried about it or something?

In a word, yes. Was mostly curious, wasn't gonna run out and drop $500 on something if it did exist... but have been experiencing something odd lately that is hard to describe. It happens several times a day, and it is very brief... has only been occurring for a week or so. I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation, but this is completely new to me

TwistedKestrel wrote:

In a word, yes. Was mostly curious, wasn't gonna run out and drop $500 on something if it did exist... but have been experiencing something odd lately that is hard to describe. It happens several times a day, and it is very brief... has only been occurring for a week or so. I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation, but this is completely new to me

Uh...this isn't "go out and buy a watch time," it's "call your doctor and make an appointment" time. Unless you're taking a medication that can have these side effects and just need to modify the dose or type, I'd wager you're getting referred to either a sleep clinic or a neurologist.

Yeah, well, lately things seem to go a lot better if I can get it in the ballpark. Will see how things go over another week or two. And like I said, it was never "go buy a watch time"