Apple has secured FDA clearance for its sleep apnea detection feature on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2. This approval, coinciding with the release of watchOS 11, allows the devices to monitor breathing patterns during sleep and alert users to potential signs of sleep apnea.
How Apple Watch Detects Sleep Apnea
Traditionally, sleep apnea diagnosis involves overnight stays in sleep clinics or the use of home-based devices. The Apple Watch utilizes its built-in accelerometer to detect subtle movements indicative of disrupted breathing patterns. According to Apple, the watch analyzes breathing disturbance data every 30 days, notifying users if consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea are detected.
Apple's announcement highlights the significance of addressing sleep apnea, a condition affecting an estimated 1 billion people worldwide, with many cases remaining undiagnosed. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health consequences, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues.
Sleep is an important area of health as it impacts a person’s overall physical and mental wellbeing. Sleep apnea is a prevalent disorder in which breathing momentarily stops during sleep, preventing the body from getting enough oxygen. The condition is estimated to impact more than 1 billion people worldwide, and in most cases, goes undiagnosed. If left untreated, it can have important health consequences over time, including increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues.
Users can access their nightly breathing disturbance data in the Health app, categorized as elevated or not elevated, and view trends over one-month, six-month, or one-year periods. The feature also allows users to generate a PDF report summarizing their breathing disturbance data over three months, facilitating more informed discussions with healthcare providers.
Clinical Validation
The sleep apnea notification algorithm underwent rigorous validation using advanced machine learning and a comprehensive dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests. A clinical validation study demonstrated that every participant identified by the algorithm exhibited at least mild sleep apnea, underscoring the feature's reliability.
Availability
The sleep apnea detection feature is available as part of watchOS 11 and is compatible with the following Apple Watch models:
- Apple Watch Series 9
- Apple Watch Series 10
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
