Association between sleep quality and nocturnal erection monitor by RigiScan in erectile dysfunction patients: a prospective study using fitbit charge 2

BACKGROUND: Few studies were conducted to explore the association between sleep quality and nocturnal erection. Here, we intended to explore the association between sleep quality and nocturnal erection monitor when conducting nocturnal erection monitor. All erectile dysfunction (ED) patients underwent sleep monitors using Fitbit Charge 2™ (Fitbit Inc.) and nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity (NPTR) monitors using RigiScan® (GOTOP medical, Inc., USA) for two nights. Subsequently, the patients were divided into two groups: Group A included patients who experienced effective erections only on the second night, while Group B included patients who had effective erections on both nights. To explore the associations between NPTR parameters and sleep parameters, a comparative analysis was performed between Group A and Group B for both nights. RESULTS: Finally, our study included 103 participants, with 47 patients in Group A and 56 patients in Group B. Notably, the Group A patients showed significant improvements in NPTR parameters on the second night compared to the first night. Conversely, the NPTR parameters on Group B of the second night did not demonstrate a superior outcome when compared to the second night of Group A. Interestingly, it was found that only the disparities in sleep parameters accounted for the variation in NPTR parameters between the two groups on the first night. After correlation and ROC analysis, we identified the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time and wake after sleep onset (WASO) time monitoring by the Fitbit Charge 2 as the primary parameters for predicting abnormal NPTR results in the first night. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, our study strongly suggests a close association between sleep parameters and NPTR parameters. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating sleep monitoring alongside nocturnal erection monitoring to enhance the reliability of the NPTR results.