Sleep apnea

[iRaynor SK]

It's truth that Apple Watch can detect sleep apnea?

 

[Significant1]

No, I am not aware of that. AFAIK it require pulse ox measurements and it is believed that technically its sensors could measure it.

I have a garmin vivosmart 4 which can (but only measures 4hours every night, while I believe some of the bigger garmins are not that restricted).

 

[TiggrToo]

It's truth that Apple Watch can detect sleep apnea?

TBH even if it did detect some nothing is going to be as effective as a proper sleep study.

If you know you snore and feel tired during the day then you should schedule a study.

I still believe I'm alive today simply because I did go for a study and they diagnosed apnea. It sucks that I absolutely need my BiPap to sleep, but being alive and being able to sleep sure beats the alternative...

 

[xraydoc]

It's truth that Apple Watch can detect sleep apnea?

No, it cannot.

 

[aggiefather]

FDA-approved Home Sleep Apnea Tests are readily available, either for private purchase or covered by insurance after a physician's order. While not as complete as a sleep study done in a hospital or sleep center, with Covid-19, they are the best option (and, as previously pointed out, could save your life!)

 

[mbaire]

Hello! here thinking about buying the apple watch ... It is clear that it is not a professional device but the sleep app does not register oxygen levels during the night as it does with the pulse?
I thought I read that with Watch Os 7 it would be possible

 

[cdcastillo]

It's truth that Apple Watch can detect sleep apnea?

No. No with any level of certainty. For that you need a sleep lab, or at least a portable PSG machine set up by a certified sleep lab technician at your home. Not even the clinical grade actigraphs are suited to the task of "detecting" sleep apnea

There are, however, clinical instruments (Epworth, STOP-BANG, etc.) and portable polygraphs that can suggest the presence of OSAHS.

Since the series 6 is a new device, I imagine there won't be long until someone tries to compare it head to head against a sleep lab (the current gold standard for diagnosis).

I'd love to participate on such a clinical trial, but at work we are still overwhelmed with COVID19 and the sleep lab was reconverted to treat infected patients. We haven't performed a single PSG since early march.

EDIT: and now I see this is a 3 months old thread. I hope this still is useful.

 

[Evil Dan]

Hello! here thinking about buying the apple watch ... It is clear that it is not a professional device but the sleep app does not register oxygen levels during the night as it does with the pulse?
I thought I read that with Watch Os 7 it would be possible

The issue is that to diagnose sleep apnoea you need to continuously monitor breathing pattern, breathing rate and SpO2 continuously through the whole night. It is possible that the Apple Watch may detect low SpO2 at night in some with undiagnosed sleep apnoea with its snap shot random readings but it certainly wouldn't be diagnostic. It is more helpful to do a sleep study as mentioned above in someone symptomatic of sleep apnoea symptoms like excess sleepiness during the day. This isn't like AF monitoring with the ECG which is generally asymptomatic till a patient presents with a TIA or stroke.

 

[mbaire]

The issue is that to diagnose sleep apnoea you need to continuously monitor breathing pattern, breathing rate and SpO2 continuously through the whole night. It is possible that the Apple Watch may detect low SpO2 at night in some with undiagnosed sleep apnoea with its snap shot random readings but it certainly wouldn't be diagnostic. It is more helpful to do a sleep study as mentioned above in someone symptomatic of sleep apnoea symptoms like excess sleepiness during the day. This isn't like AF monitoring with the ECG which is generally asymptomatic till a patient presents with a TIA or stroke.

Many thanks