Your Wrist Is Now a Sleep Apnea Detective: Apple Watch’s New Superpower!

Summary

Get ready to sleep easy, folks, because the Apple Watch Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2 are stepping up their sleep game with a fresh new feature: sleep apnea detection! Now, when you drift off to dreamland, your trusty wrist companion will be watching over you like an overzealous parent at a sleepover. Forget needing a fancy blood oxygen sensor to detect those pesky breathing disturbances that can make you feel as groggy as a bear in hibernation. Apple decided it’s easier (and way more fun) to harness the power of the accelerometer! That’s right; it’s like the ‘dance floor’ for your wrist, picking up on those tiny movements you make – or should we say, fail to make – while you’re catching some Z’s. So how does it all work? Well, your Apple Watch gathers a whopping 30 days of overnight data – talk about commitment! After all that quality time, it’ll give you a heads-up if you’re showing signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. You’ll find all the juicy details under the Breathing Disturbances section of the Health app, where you can check if your breathing is ‘Elevated’ or ‘Not Elevated’—no, it’s not a motivational poster; it’s your sleep status! And hey, if your sleep position or last night’s margaritas are messing with your breathing, your watch has got that on its radar too. Now, if you’re wondering what sleep apnea actually is, think of it as your body trying its best to snooze, but then pulling a surprise ‘wake-up call’ because, oh you know, breathing just decided to RSVP ‘no’ for the night. And believe it or not, there are over 1 billion people worldwide dealing with this nighttime drama. Apple’s created this snazzy sleep apnea notification algorithm using some serious machine learning wizardry and info gathered from clinical tests that would make even the most seasoned sleep referee proud. Every single participant flashed a warning sign of at least mild sleep apnea – the ultimate sign-off from Dr. Apple! The cherry on top? Apple’s gearing up to get this feature approved by none other than the FDA and other big-name health authorities, and it’ll be popping up in over 150 countries this month. Suddenly, your wrist isn’t just a fashion statement; it’s practically a health guru ready to help you combat those sleep woes with one simple flick of the wrist. Who knew your Apple Watch could moonlight as a nighttime bodyguard?

Original Source: www.macrumors.com