The FDA has cleared Samsung to detect sleep apnea within its Galaxy Watches, a feature expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2024.
Connected watches are now concentrated in technology for measuring your health, whether it is the detection of hypertension, stress and now blood oxygen saturation with the SpO2 sensor.
They are also very effective in measuring your quality of sleep and acting accordingly. And if there is one such disorder for which these watches could be effective, it is sleep apnea. Samsung has just announced that the feature has just been approved by the FDA in the United States.
A Galaxy Watch and a Galaxy smartphone against sleep apnea
This respiratory disturbance is responsible for chronic fatigue and heart problems, but is not easily detectable by the users themselves. While sleep apnea affects nearly 3 million French people, several watches could offer detection, starting with the Samsung Galaxy Watch.
According to a press release from the South Korean manufacturer (via Android Authority), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has validated the sleep apnea detection functionality within its connected watches.
According to Samsung, users will need to be at least 22 years old and wear their watch for at least two 4-hour sleep sessions over a 10-day period. A Samsung Galaxy smartphone linked to the Galaxy Watch will also be necessary.
A feature also planned for the Apple Watch
We know that the Apple Watch could offer this tool this year, while the Withings Scanwatch was the first to do so in 2020. The latter detects atrial fibrillation and oxygen saturation in the blood using sensors PPG and SpO2.
Samsung, however, has not revealed which smartwatch models will offer this feature, which is expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2024 in the United States. We imagine that the next Galaxy Watch 7 will be affected, while the Galaxy Watch 6 range could offer it via an update, but nothing has been confirmed at the moment.