Samsung Electronics announced today that Samsung Health App was approved by the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) to use the sleep apnea function, and will be applied to the Galaxy Watch series of watches in South Korea early next year.
▲ Screenshot of Samsung’s official website
According to the report, by utilizing the Galaxy Watch’s BioActive sensor, the sleep apnea feature monitors blood oxygen levels during sleep and identifies moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea by analyzing how the detected blood oxygen values change into apnea / shallow slow breathing, and then estimates the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). Users can determine if they are experiencing these symptoms by simply tracking their sleep twice in a 10-day period for more than four hours each time.
▲ Image source Samsung website
Hon Pak, vice president of MX business and head of digital health team at Samsung Electronics, said, “Samsung remains committed to delivering advanced technology for Galaxy wearables to help more people better understand and control their health.” He also added, “With the new sleep apnea feature on the Galaxy Watch lineup, we’re providing users with a simple, proactive tool to recognize the condition early before it gets worse.”
It is learned that sleep apnea is considered a common but serious condition that causes people to stop breathing while they sleep, which can lead to interrupted oxygen supply, decreased sleep quality, and other health complications such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, or cognitive impairment. According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 25 percent of men and 10 percent of women in the U.S. suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, with three of them unable to recognize their symptoms or seek treatment.
