Apple Watch Sleep Apnea Detection Gets FDA Approval

At the iPhone 16 launch event, Apple announced the latest Apple Watch Series 10 with bigger displays, an S10 chip, Sleep Apnea detection, and fast charging support. Today, on September 16, the US Food and Drug Administration published the approval of Sleep Apnea Detection for newer Apple Watch models. This green light comes at just the right time, four days ahead of the Apple Watch Series 10 availability (September 20). The Sleep Apnea Detection feature will arrive as a part of the watchOS 11 release which is already out now.

Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which a person’s breathing is interrupted while they sleep. Although these breathing interruptions aren’t dangerous, they disturb your sleep, which might trigger physical and mental health risks. The most common form is obstructive sleep apnea, where the throat muscles collapse and block the airflow into the lungs.

The traditional methods of sleep apnea detection require the suspected sufferer to stay in a clinic while wearing a variety of instruments. Alternatively, they could be given a simpler device to wear overnight at home. The newer Apple Watch would make sleep apnea detection much more simpler. The smartwatch will utilize the built-in accelerometer to detect breathing disturbances. Once enabled, this feature will require at least 10 nights of sleep-tracking data spread out over 30 days to identify if the user needs to consult a physician.

“Breathing Disturbances is an innovative new Apple Watch metric that uses the accelerometer to detect small movements at the wrist associated with interruptions to normal respiratory patterns during sleep. Every 30 days, Apple Watch will analyse breathing disturbance data and notify users if it shows consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea so they can speak to their doctor about next steps, including potential diagnosis and treatment.” – Apple

Apple says the feature is designed to detect signs of identify signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea in individuals aged 18 and older who have not yet been diagnosed with the condition. Also, the Cupertino tech giant claims that the sleep apnea detection feature is developed using “advanced machine learning” and an “extensive data set of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests,” which are then thoroughly validated in a “clinical study.”

Apple Watch with Sleep Apnea Detection

The brand-new Sleep Apnea Detection feature will be available as a part of watchOS 11, and will work only on three Apple Watch models:

• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Series 9

If you’ve got a compatible Apple Watch, you can visit the Health app on your iPhone and view your nightly Breathing Disturbances classified as “elevated” or “not elevated.”