Apple has enabled a new Apple Watch feature to help identify signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea in Australia.
Sleep apnoea is detected through a new Apple Watch metric called Breathing Disturbances. This uses the Apple Watch’s accelerometer to monitor small wrist movements that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns. Breathing Disturbances can be in the iPhone and iPad Health app. You can see one-month, six-month or one-year period trends.
The feature is supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Every 30 days, breathing disturbance data is analysed. Users are notified if the data shows consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea so they can speak to their doctor about next steps, including potential diagnosis and treatment. The notification will include the time period when potential sleep apnoea occurred and educational materials on the importance of seeking treatment, along with a PDF providing three months of breathing disturbance data, notification details and additional information to reference during a conversation with a healthcare provider.
Sleep apnoea is a potentially serious condition where breathing stops repeatedly during sleep. The condition, which is estimated to impact more than 1 million Australians, goes undiagnosed in most cases. If left untreated, sleep apnoea can have important consequences on one’s health.
While some disturbances are normal, tracking them can be used to help understand restfulness of sleep and they may be associated with sleep apnoea. The sleep apnoea notification algorithm was developed using advanced machine learning and an extensive dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnoea tests which was then validated in a clinical study.
Dr Moira Junge, Sleep Health Foundation’s CEO says, “Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common and serious sleep disorder, potentially impacting a million Australians. As it often goes undiagnosed, awareness and early detection of sleep apnoea are a welcome and significant step toward healthier sleep and improved lives.“
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.