Today's post is important to me, but hopefully also one that should hold some interest for those in dentistry. Today (September 9, 2024) there is an Apple event being held where the company will be making some new product announcements. One of those should be dealing with Apple Watch Series 10 as we as the high end Series Ultra 3.
As most fans of Apple products know, since its first launch of the Apple Watch, the company has put a serious amount of focus on their Health App. Because most users are wearing their watch practically all the time, except for charging, the device is a great way to monitor health aspects of the wearer. Over the years the Apple Watch has been on the market some of the features have been Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen Saturation, and sleep statistics.
So in hopes of providing users with even more insights into their health, rumors have now been confirmed (mainly through reporting from Bloomberg... subscription required) that the latest generation of the Apple Watch (called Series 10) will feature detection of Sleep Apnea. This is due to an upgrade in the system's ECG sensor which monitors heart rate. Unfortunately I haven't been able to come up with much more info, however I did manage to find the following on Tomsguide.com:
"Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said sleep apnea detection will be a headlining feature for both the Series 10 and Ultra 3. The watches will be able to detect whether a user shows signs of sleep apnea, i.e. if their breathing repeatedly starts and stops during the night, and then recommend they consult with a doctor for further assistance.
It would presumably work similarly to how the Apple Watch currently prompts users with alerts about irregular heart rate, fluctuating blood oxygen levels, and other health conditions. Odds are the sleep apnea feature will be related to the new Vitals health app added with the watchOS 11 public beta. This app streamlines the Apple Watch's health monitoring tools to provide a snapshot of all your key wellness metrics, which it monitors while you sleep. "
If it works as expected, this could be a great source of data for those of us in dentistry that are treating sleep apnea. Up to this point, patients have had to wear some type of sleep monitor to gather this type of data. While these monitors are certainly helpful, they can be a bit cumbersome and some patients don't like to wear them, even for the brief 2 or 3 nights needed to develop data for a sleep study.
I'm also happy to hear that if the watch detects that a wearer has symptoms of sleep apnea, it will suggest further testing with a medical professional. That's great news as a lot of people who suffer with sleep apnea are either unaware of it or unaware that treatment for the disease exists. All that they know is that they are constantly tired, foggy, and have much less energy.
As someone who treats sleep disorders by using dental appliances, I'm pretty excited to find out all the info on this new Apple Watch feature. I also happen to suffer with OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) so if this is as promising as it sounds, I'll probably be upgrading to the new Series 10 or Ultra 3.
Currently I'm sleeping in my Apple Watch to help monitor myself with both their Sleep App as well as an app I purchased called SleepWatch. Combing through the data these two apps provide gives me much greater insight into my own sleep cycles.
So be on the lookout for stories hitting the news later today about this new feature. This could a real diagnostic aid for both patients and doctors.
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