Diagnosing Sleep Apnea with Withings
“Wear nothing, know everything.” The anthem rings true for Withings’ new Sleep Analyzer, an advanced sleep tracker placed underneath one’s mattress. Previously, a user would need to wear a diagnostic device, such as a fitness watch, to record and track one’s sleep data. Moreover, an orthodox sleep apnea diagnosis requires numerous hospital visits and laboratory results. The Sleep Analyzer, a clinically validated medical device, provides a real-time analysis of behavioral patterns and health parameters during sleep without the need to wear a physical companion device.
Approximately 20% of the adult population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, 80% of whom are unaware of their existing condition. Whereas its Aura and Sleep (the remodeled Nokia Sleep) devices merely detect breathing disturbances, Withings’ third generation Sleep Analyzer can detect sleep apnea with medical precision, akin to hospital-grade polysomnography technology. Equipped with pneumatic and sound sensors, the Withings device can generate a PDF Sleep Diary which provides a periodical report and visual representation of statistics such as average heart rate, sleep score, latency, snoring, and sleep apnea eruptions with severity classifications.
Although Withings maintains a domestic patent for its sleep mat (U.S. Patent No. 10,722,122), in addition to seven other relevant patents, the Sleep Analyzer lacks FDA clearance—the delayed federal scrutiny may be attributed to the pandemic’s cascading effect on regulatory resources. Accordingly, its availability is currently limited to European markets. However, with validated trials at hospitals in France and Belgium, the Sleep Analyzer should eventually surface the U.S. commercial waters as the world’s first at-home detection device for medically-diagnosed sleep apnea.
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