Samsung has announced that Galaxy Watches can now detect Sleep Apnea in the USA. The Samsung Health Monitor app has received the De Novo certification from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This feature detects signs of Sleep Apnea, which is among the most common sleep-related issues.
Galaxy Watches to get Sleep Apnea Detection in the US in Q3 2024
Detecting Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) requires a compatible Galaxy Watch and Galaxy smartphone, and the smartphone should have the Samsung Health Monitor app installed. This feature allows people aged 22 or above to monitor their sleep for two nights to detect whether they have signs of OSA, which is a common chronic sleep condition that is often undiagnosed and untreated.
To use this feature, users need to monitor their sleep for two sleeping sessions, each at least four hours long. Moreover, those two sleeps can be in a ten-day period. OSA can lead to a person stopping breathing in their sleep, and that can often result in disruptions in oxygen supply. It also decreases sleep quality and increases fatigue during the daytime. Untreated OSA can increase the risk of heart-related diseases like cardiac arrhythmia, coronary artery diseases, heart failure, hypertension, and stroke.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has found that roughly 25% of men and 10% of women in the US experience OSA. Once users are able to detect OSA, they can seek medical care. Good sleep is often linked to good health and mental health. Samsung is trying to offer users more health tools via the Galaxy Watch series, and the Sleep Apnea Detection feature will be available in the US in the third quarter of 2024.
