Systems and methods of facilitating sleep state entry with transcutaneous vibration

A system to treat a sleep disorder of a subject comprising:

• a stimulation device comprising:
• a transducer adapted to emit a transcutaneous vibratory output;
• a physiological sensor generating physiological data of the subject;
• and
• a processor in electronic communication with the transducer and the physiological sensor, the processor receiving the physiological data of the subject and programmed to:
• cause the transducer to emit stimulation, wherein the stimulation comprises the transcutaneous vibratory output having parameters comprising a perceived pitch, a perceived beat, and an intensity, wherein the transcutaneous vibratory output is produced by multiplicatively combining a sine wave-shaped envelope generated using the perceived beat with a wave pattern generated using the perceived pitch;
• determine if the subject is in a pre-sleep state or a sleep state based on the physiological data;
• and
• alter the transcutaneous vibratory output based on a determination that the subject is in at least one of the pre-sleep state or the sleep state,
• wherein altering comprises at least one of (i) reducing a frequency of the perceived pitch, (ii) increasing an interval of the perceived beat, or (iii) reducing the intensity of the transcutaneous vibratory output.

A method of treating sleeplessness or insomnia in a person that utilizes a therapeutic stimulation device comprising a transducer that is adapted to emit vibrations at selected frequencies toward a body part, the method comprising:

• selecting a therapeutic stimulation pattern comprising two or more oscillations having different frequencies, wherein:
• a first oscillation of the two or more oscillations exhibits a first frequency having a starting value that is in a range of approximately 1 to approximately 100 Hz,
• a second oscillation of the two or more oscillations exhibits a second frequency initially differs from the first frequency by approximately 0.0001 to approximately 1 Hz, and
• the two or more oscillations collectively form a beat output;
• and
• emitting, with the transducer, the beat output as vibrations that correspond to the selected therapeutic stimulation pattern, wherein emitting the beat output comprises:
• starting the first oscillation at an upper threshold frequency;
• tapering the first oscillation down to a lower threshold frequency over a first period of time;
• and
• maintaining the first oscillation at the lower threshold frequency during a second period of time.