A monitoring system, comprising: a system bus (514, 614); a peripheral bus (516, 616); a sensor data collection system (503, 603) configured to control collection of sensor data related to one or more characteristics of a subject, the sensor data collection system (503, 603) including: an event sequencer and scheduler, ESS, coupled to the system bus (514, 614) via the peripheral bus (516, 616), the ESS configured to control sequencing and scheduling of the sensor data collection, and a buffer configured to receive and buffer data corresponding to the sensor data collected from one or more sensors (204, 206) in accordance with a signal provided by the ESS; and one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) configured to: receive the buffered data from the buffer in accordance with a wake signal; process the received data; and output the processed data; wherein the sequencing and scheduling of the sensor data collection by the sensor data collection system (503, 603) is decoupled from the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608); wherein the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) are configured to enter a low-power sleep mode during the sensor data collection by the sensor data collection system (503, 603), the low-power sleep mode preventing the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) from receiving the buffered data, process the received data, and output the processed data; wherein the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) are configured to exit the sleep mode and resume receiving the buffered data in accordance with the wake signal; and wherein in response to the buffer being full, the buffer provides the wake signal to the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608). a system bus (514, 614); a peripheral bus (516, 616); a sensor data collection system (503, 603) configured to control collection of sensor data related to one or more characteristics of a subject, the sensor data collection system (503, 603) including: an event sequencer and scheduler, ESS, coupled to the system bus (514, 614) via the peripheral bus (516, 616), the ESS configured to control sequencing and scheduling of the sensor data collection, and a buffer configured to receive and buffer data corresponding to the sensor data collected from one or more sensors (204, 206) in accordance with a signal provided by the ESS; and an event sequencer and scheduler, ESS, coupled to the system bus (514, 614) via the peripheral bus (516, 616), the ESS configured to control sequencing and scheduling of the sensor data collection, and a buffer configured to receive and buffer data corresponding to the sensor data collected from one or more sensors (204, 206) in accordance with a signal provided by the ESS; and one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) configured to: receive the buffered data from the buffer in accordance with a wake signal; process the received data; and output the processed data; receive the buffered data from the buffer in accordance with a wake signal; process the received data; and output the processed data; wherein the sequencing and scheduling of the sensor data collection by the sensor data collection system (503, 603) is decoupled from the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608); wherein the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) are configured to enter a low-power sleep mode during the sensor data collection by the sensor data collection system (503, 603), the low-power sleep mode preventing the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) from receiving the buffered data, process the received data, and output the processed data; wherein the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608) are configured to exit the sleep mode and resume receiving the buffered data in accordance with the wake signal; and wherein in response to the buffer being full, the buffer provides the wake signal to the one or more processors (302, 402, 508, 608).