New 'life-saving' Apple Watch feature will be able to detect serious sleep condition
Tech fans are praising a 'life-saving' new Apple Watch feature introduced during the company's launch event in California.
AirPods, iPhones and watches - Apple unveiled them all yesterday (September 10), when CEO Tim Cook took to the stage to share what the company has been working on for the past few months.
Set to be released on September 20, the Apple Watch Series 10 is among Apple's new devices and comes with a whole host of new features designed to benefit the user more than ever before.
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In a post on Twitter, Cook described the new watch as the 'most personal and intelligent model yet'.
It's 10 percent thinner than Series 9 but has up to 30 percent more screen area, with Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who introduced the new watch, describing it as the 'biggest wearable display we’ve ever built'.
It's not just about how the watch looks, though, and fans have admitted they're impressed by what features it has to offer.
As well as faster charging and up to 50 meters of water resistance, the Series 10 has new health and fitness insights which could help transform users' lives.
One of the impressive new features of the watch is its ability to identify signs of sleep apnea.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sleep apnea is a 'potentially serious sleep disorder' in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.
Symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness and a headache in the morning.
The condition can be treated by lifestyle changes, the use of a CPAP machine or even surgery, but without treatment it can lead to complications including cardiovascular problems, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes.
To detect possible sleep apnea, the Apple Watch monitors small movements at the wrist which are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns.
Some disturbances are normal, Apple explains, but tracking them can help identify repeated instances which may be associated with sleep apnea.
Each morning, users will be able to use Apple's Health app to view their nightly Breathing Disturbances, and Apple will issue a notification if the data indicates consistent signs of sleep apnea.
The notification will include educational materials about seeking treatment, Apple says, as well as a document providing further information on breathing disturbance data.
Apple fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the new watch after the launch yesterday, with one person writing: "The new sleep apnea detection is a potential life saver for a lot of people."
Another added: "As someone who struggled with extreme #sleepapnea, I wish I had a tool like this to help me find a solution faster! Apple’s new sleep apnea detection on the #AppleWatch could be a game changer for those searching for answers."
Prices for the Apple Watch start at $399, with pre-orders available now.
Topics: Apple, Health, Technology, US News, Sleep
Emily Brown