Samsung’s next batch of Galaxy Watch connected watches could well bring a great novelty by helping people who suffer from sleep apnea. Especially those who ignore it.
In France, sleep apnea or OSA (for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome) affects 4% of the population according to the Ameli website. It is characterized by abnormally frequent interruptions or reductions in breathing during sleep. Pauses that can last between 10 and 30 seconds or more and at least five times an hour. This lack of oxygen leads to micro-awakenings and ultimately unrestful, even exhausting, nights. Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, but many people are unaware they have it. Still according to Ameli, sleep apnea can cause problems with concentration, memory and mood. A worrying phenomenon, especially if we are not aware of it.
And it is precisely in this area that Samsung could strike a big blow with its next Galaxy Watch connected watches. The South Korean has just announced that it has obtained approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the American federal agency for food and drug products, to use a new sleep apnea detection function in its watches. Samsung has also obtained this approval for South Korea.
This is the first time that such approval has been validated for a connected watch. To detect symptoms of sleep apnea, you will obviously have to wear the watch during the night. This will then use, among other things, measurements of oxygen in the blood (SpO2) to identify the signs of OSA. Samsung says the feature will only be available for “users over the age of 22 who have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea. They will have to track their sleep twice for more than four hours and over a period of 10 days.“The data collected will be available in the Samsung Health Monitor home health monitoring application on a Galaxy smartphone. It will thus be possible to identify signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea before consulting a doctor, figures at support.
Samsung’s new function should see the light of day during the third quarter of 2024. A date which would coincide with the launch of the new Galaxy Watch 7 range expected, as tradition dictates, for this summer. Samsung does not, however, indicate whether the function will be available on previous Galaxy Watch models capable of measuring blood oxygen levels (SpO2). Finally, we do not yet know if and when the system will be active in France.