Apple Watch Takes on Sleep Apnea: A Snoozing Superhero!
Summary
The FDA is all aboard the health train, giving the shiny new Apple Watch a gold star for its snazzy sleep apnea detection feature! Just a week after Apple dazzled us with the new iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, they dropped another jaw-dropper: this watch can now sniff out sleep apnea while you snooze! Talk about a wrist-worn night watch, right? The timing? Spot on! This revelation comes just days before the grand debut of the Series 10 watch—mark your calendars for September 20th! But don’t fret if you’re stuck with an older model; if you have the Series 9 or the Ultra 2, you can jump into the sleep apnea party starting today—just update to the latest watchOS 11. Who knew sleep monitoring could be this trendy? For those unfamiliar, sleep apnea is that fancy medical term for when folks stop and start breathing like a stuttering car engine during the night. It leaves you feeling like a zombie come morning, and, left unchecked, it can lead to some serious heart drama. Let’s just say loud snoring is like your body’s way of yelling, “Help!” and not in a good way! Around 1 billion people worldwide might be nodding off without realizing they’re more like the cast of a horror movie than just sleepyheads. Now, before you get all excited thinking your Apple Watch will diagnose you—hold your horses! The FDA says this feature is more like a friendly nudge than a full-blown check-up. Apple calls it the “Breathing Disturbances” feature, positioning it as your new health sidekick. It uses the watch’s accelerometer to catch your wrist moving like a wave during those dramatic sleep gasps. Every month, it checks in on your sleeping habits and gives you a little nudge to see a doc if it spots a pattern of interruptions. It’s a bit like your watch becoming a sleep detective, solving the mysterious case of your nighttime restlessness! Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, a sleep expert, gave us the lowdown: “Empowering consumers to pinpoint those pesky abnormal breathing patterns is a game changer!” Basically, if your watch is flashing like a disco ball during sleep, it’s time to visit a physician and possibly snag a diagnosis. Who knew you could get a little help fighting the sleep apnea monster without leaving your bed? And if you’re wondering if Apple’s making a play for the health tech crown? Oh, you bet! This sleep apnea approval comes right after their AirPods Pro 2 snagged the FDA’s nod to become over-the-counter hearing aids for those with mild to moderate hearing loss—because apparently, hearing and breathing are better with a side of tech. So buckle up, folks, the future of health is looking funky with Apple in the driver’s seat!
Original Source: www.cbsnews.com