Samsung brings sleep apnea detection to Galaxy Watch 5 and 6 series in Korea

Samsung announced a new sleep apnea detection feature coming to Galaxy Watch models in Korea early next year. The new feature received approval from Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and will be available for the Galaxy Watch6 and Watch5 series in the Samsung Health Monitor app early next year for South Korean users.

With the new sleep apnea feature on 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.” - Hon Pak, VP and Head of Digital Health Team at Samsung Mobile

Samsung claims Galaxy Watch users will be able to spot obtrusive sleep apnea symptoms in the early stages and alert users to seek medical attention. Galaxy Watches with BioActive sensors will be able to monitor blood oxygen levels during sleep. They will analyze how the detected blood oxygen values change to apnea/hypopnea and get an estimated Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). The new feature will require two sleep tracking sessions with more than 4 hours of data to asses if the user has sleep apnea symptoms.

Sleep apnea is a common health issue worldwide associated with people who stop breathing during sleep which can result in decreased oxygen supply to the body and other health complications such as hypertension, cardiac disorder, stroke or cognitive disorder.

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