- Apple Watch’s sleep health feature has officially arrived in mainland China after regulatory approval.
- The feature monitors subtle wrist movements to identify potential warning signs during sleep.
- - Find out which Apple Watch models are eligible and how the new alerts work.
After being approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the Apple Watch sleep apnea warning feature is finally rolling out in mainland China. The advanced health-monitoring capability is now reaching eligible Apple Watch users. With the new feature, users can receive notifications or alerts when their overnight breathing patterns signal persistent signs related to moderate to severe sleep apnea.
Interestingly, Apple secured a medical device registration approval for its sleep apnea notification software ahead of bringing the feature in the country.
How does the Apple Watch sleep apnea warning feature work?
Apple Watch uses its built-in accelerometer sensor to monitor wrist movements along with interruptions in breathing normally while sleeping. The sensor then sends these signals to create data called “breathing disturbances.”
Users can then review their date related to breathing disturbances in the Health app on their iPad or iPhone. The Apple Health app categorizes the result as either elevated or not elevated, which gives users an ability to monitor patterns over periods of a month, six months, or even a year.
How sleep apnea notifications work
Over a 30-day period, Apple Watch regularly analyzes breathing disturbances. If the stored data occasionally shows signs relating to moderate to severe sleep apnea, the watch sends a notification to the user recommending that they discuss the results and get potential next steps with a doctor.
The notification also carries information about the period in which sleep apnea signs were found or detected. Additionally, it includes educational resources explaining the importance of treatment and, finally, a PDF report.
Notably, the report includes three months of breathing disturbance data, details about the notification, and other information that should be shared with their doctors for better understanding.
Clinical validation and medical approval in China
Apple says it built the sleep apnea alert feature using deep algorithms trained on a large dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests. Further, the company added that the feature has been proved validated in a clinical study.
However, the main purpose of using the feature is to encourage earlier awareness and follow-up with medical advisories, rather than replacing a doctor. Users should visit a doctor in case they sense an unusual pattern on their Apple Watch.
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