Using smartwatch data and AI to detect sleep apnea

This study is testing whether a smartwatch can accurately detect obstructive sleep apnea—a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep—using artificial intelligence to analyze data like blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and sleep patterns. Researchers hope this smartwatch-based approach will offer a faster, easier, and cheaper way to screen for sleep apnea compared to traditional overnight sleep tests. If successful, this could help more people get diagnosed and treated earlier.

Sleep apnea is very common but many people go undiagnosed because the standard test (polysomnography) is expensive, time-consuming, and hard to access. This study aims to develop a more accessible screening tool using technology most people already have—a smartwatch—to help catch the condition earlier and get people the treatment they need.