UPDATE
16 July 2025
Sleep apnoea notifications are available today on Apple?Watch
Starting today, a new Apple Watch feature to help identify signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea is available in Australia. Sleep apnoea is a potentially serious condition where breathing stops repeatedly during sleep.?The condition, which is estimated to impact more than 1?million Australians, goes undiagnosed in most cases. If left untreated, sleep apnoea can have important consequences on one’s health.1
To detect sleep apnoea, Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to monitor small movements at the wrist that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns, measured by a new Apple Watch metric called Breathing Disturbances. While some of these disturbances are normal, they are important to track as they can be used to help understand restfulness of sleep and, when occurring frequently over multiple nights, may be associated with sleep apnoea. Users can view their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app on iPhone and iPad, where they are classified as elevated or not elevated, and can be viewed over a one-month, six-month or one-year period.
“Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common and serious sleep disorder, potentially impacting a million Australians. As it often goes undiagnosed, awareness and early detection of sleep apnoea are a welcome and significant step toward healthier sleep and improved lives,” says Dr Moira Junge, Sleep Health Foundation’s CEO. “Good sleep is a pillar of health and wellbeing.”
Every 30 days, breathing disturbance data is analysed and will notify the user if it shows consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea so they can speak to their doctor about next steps, including potential diagnosis and treatment. The notification will include the time period when potential sleep apnoea occurred and educational materials on the importance of seeking treatment, along with a PDF providing three months of breathing disturbance data, notification details and additional information to reference during a conversation with a healthcare provider.
The sleep apnoea notification algorithm was developed using advanced machine learning and an extensive dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnoea tests. The feature was then validated in a?clinical study?— unprecedented in size for sleep apnoea technology. In the clinical validation study, every participant identified by the algorithm had at least mild sleep apnoea.
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- Sleep apnoea notifications are available in more than 150 countries and regions, including the US, the EU and Japan. A complete list of regions is available at?apple.com/au/watchos/feature-availability. The feature is supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. It is intended to detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea for people 18 years or older without a diagnosis of sleep apnoea.? Always follow the directions for use. The feature is not intended for use in screening for, diagnosing, treating or managing sleep apnoea. Even without a notification, sleep apnoea may still be present. Consult a medical practitioner if you have symptoms of sleep apnoea or any other breathing disturbance.