During its much-anticipated “Glowtime” event, Apple unveiled new products, including the latest iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. But what the tech giant showed off was a renewed focus on health, boasting two “innovative” features in the new Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2: sleep apnea detection and hearing aid features.
“These new features expand across products, providing useful and powerful ways to support users with their sleep and hearing health in conditions that affect billions of people worldwide,” according to Apple. press release.
If you’re interested in seeing if Apple’s new technology can help improve your health, here’s what you need to know about how the new features work.
Detecting sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to stop and start repeatedly, according to Mayo ClinicThis can lead to loud snoring, discomfort even after a full night’s sleep, and can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.
Apple hopes to help users of the latest Apple Watch (Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2) identify if they have sleep apnea with a feature called Breathing Disorders.
The technology works using the watch’s accelerometer, which detects small movements on the wrist that could be signs of disruptions in normal breathing patterns during sleep, Apple explains in its press release. Every 30 days, users can check the Health app for breathing disorder data, which notifies you of consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. You can then decide whether or not to talk to your doctor about next steps to treat it.
Apple says the breathing disturbances feature can act as a measure of how well you’re sleeping. Sleep quality can be affected by things like napping too late or for too long, consuming alcohol or caffeine, or racing thoughts. The Health app will show nighttime breathing disturbances captured by Apple Watch, which can reveal trends over time.
You can export a PDF file containing your breathing disorder data to show to your doctor, especially if you are concerned about sleep apnea.
Apple says the sleep apnea notification algorithm was developed using advanced machine learning combined with a large dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests. Apple then validated the feature in a clinical study, where every participant identified by the algorithm was found to have at least mild sleep apnea.
“This is a major step forward in improving public health,” said Dr. Seeram Parthasarathy, professor and director of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Sleep, Circadian Rhythm and Neuroscience in Tucson, Arizona, in the statement.
US Food and Drug Administration I just gave permission To Apple’s sleep apnea detection devices — a step toward approval.
‘Medical Grade Hearing Aid’
Hearing loss is frustrating for anyone, especially when you’re trying to use hearing aids that can be unintuitive or uncomfortable. With the new generation of AirPods Pro, users can enjoy hearing assistance capabilities that are supposed to be on par with over-the-counter hearing aids, according to Apple, and are best for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
After taking Apple’s five-minute hearing test at home with AirPods — found in the Health app — the headphone technology can transform “AirPods Pro into a clinical-grade hearing aid,” according to the press release. It takes into account your personal hearing test results, enabling “personalized dynamic adjustments” based on your hearing needs in the environment you’re in to enhance sound in real time.
The hearing aid feature can also be set up using an audiogram by a professional.
Apple says people with mild or no hearing loss can benefit from a hearing test as well, as the test profile will enable specific audio adjustments to individual frequencies.
“Hearing health is a cornerstone of overall well-being,” said Rick Neitzel, professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and principal investigator of the Apple Hearing Study. “Protecting and preserving our hearing enhances our quality of life in the short and long term.”
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