New sleep apnea feature added to Samsung Health Monitor app

Samsung has announced the addition of a new sleep apnea feature to its Health Monitor app that enables people to discover sleep apnea in the early stages which often goes undiagnosed and untreated. The feature will roll out to the Galaxy Watch series in Korea beginning early next year.

Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that causes someone to stop breathing while asleep, resulting in disruptions in oxygen supply, lower sleep quality, and other health complications such as hypertension, cardiac disorder, stroke or cognitive disorder. The new feature on the Galaxy Watch series will allow more people to proactively spot symptoms of the condition, encourage discovery earlier, and subsequently minimize the possibility of health-related complications.

According to Samsung, the sleep apnea feature utilizes Galaxy Watch's BioActive Sensor to track blood oxygen levels during sleep and identifies moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea by analyzing how the detected blood oxygen values change to apnea/hypopnea, then estimates Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).

Samsung also noted that the new sleep apnea feature is only a pre-diagnosis tool and isn’t meant to replace diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional.

"Samsung remains committed to delivering advanced technologies to Galaxy wearables that help more people better understand and take control of their wellness. With the new sleep apnea feature on the Galaxy Watch series, we are providing users with a simple, proactive tool to recognize this disorder in its earliest possible stages before their condition worsens," said Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics.