2 days Ago By Chris Keall
You could be losing sleep over sleep apnoea - literally - without knowing it, with damaging repercussions for your health. The start-and-stop breathing sleeping disorder associated with increased risk of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues if left untreated, affects a minimum 4% of New Zealand men and a minimum 2% of women according to Asthma New Zealand. For those aged 30 to 60, around 9% are afflicted.
Most are undiagnosed. Now there’s a new option for those who could be at risk. On Tuesday (NZT), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared a new Apple Watch feature for use that alerts you if it detects possible sleep apnoea (or “apnea” as it’s spelt in the US).
Apple plans a rollout to 150 countries, including New Zealand, via a free software update for the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Apple Watch Series 10 - available in NZ from this Friday, from $749..
