[normhead]

Unfortunately it doesn't work for people with obstructive or central sleep apnea, and it's a condition that's far more common than people know. They can be waking up hundreds of times a night (what they call "fragmented sleep") due to them literally not breathing and the body reacting by forcing them into a wakeful state to clear the airway or resume breathing. In many cases there won't be any recollection of any this happening. Dangerous thing to go undiagnosed, that.

However, the Apple watch is not a proper sleep apnea test.

Depends on how you define proper, if you can suffer sleep apnea without moving then the watch won't help you. Since it works by detecting movement, not by monitoring brain waves etc. you're right it's not a "proper" test, but could be a functional one. According to recent reports I start twitching as soon as I am out of REM sleep, so it would be quite effective for me, I suspect. The question being, what do you do with the information?

Possibly something like this.
Insomnia Treatment – Fisher Wallace

[lightbox]

Depends on how you define proper, if you can suffer sleep apnea without moving then the watch won't help you. Since it works by detecting movement, not by monitoring brain waves etc. you're right it's not a "proper" test, but could be a functional one. According to recent reports I start twitching as soon as I am out of REM sleep, so it would be quite effective for me, I suspect. The question being, what do you do with the information?

Possibly something like this.
Insomnia Treatment – Fisher Wallace

I feel that the best thing to do with any information concerning sleep problems (be it from a device or from the person that sleeps next to you) is to take it to a sleep doctor. Certainly try the common-sense remedies first but don't wait too long. Sleep apnea is a silent killer (if it doesn't get you in your sleep, it'll get you eventually via deteriorated health), and the classic test for it monitors several parameters including motion, vibration (snoring), brain activity, and blood oxygen concentraion / SpO2. Then a trained sleep technician interprets the data to determine your type and degree of apnea (if any).

There are too many products on the market promising better sleep, and I feel that these sometimes lead people down the wrong path.

[normhead]

I feel that the best thing to do with any information concerning sleep problems (be it from a device or from the person that sleeps next to you) is to take it to a sleep doctor. Certainly try the common-sense remedies first but don't wait too long. Sleep apnea is a silent killer (if it doesn't get you in your sleep, it'll get you eventually via deteriorated health), and the classic test for it monitors several parameters including motion, vibration (snoring), brain activity, and blood oxygen concentraion / SpO2. Then a trained sleep technician interprets the data to determine your type and degree of apnea (if any).

There are too many products on the market promising better sleep, and I feel that these sometimes lead people down the wrong path.

Bogus cures are always an issue, but getting to a sleep lab isn't a walk in the park either. One of my ex's went for a test. Turns out she needed more sleep because, she slept slower than a normal person. And average person has a 90 minute sleep cycle. Her's lasted 2 hours. Good information I guess, but a lot of work and expense to find out there was nothing they could do for her.

[GlennG]

What about you? Are you getting an Apple Watch or other smart watch? What for?

Hadn't planned on it. I'm not exactly sure what all it does. I haven't even looked up what it actually does - maybe I should. And, I'm famous in my circles for being the absolutely latest adopter of technology. I am looking forward to inheriting my wife's S4 phone when I have to turn in my free work-issued Blackberry (new phone policy).


Did you all hear that tattoos on your wrist interfere with the Apple Watch heart monitor, or something? Interesting. You know, I would have guessed that Apple would have found out about that before launch, but I guess you just don't know everything about version 1.0 of anything.

[clackers]

If you already have a good Android fitness watch, this won't impress you much.

If you're an Apple completist, you might want to check it out.