Does Garmin detect sleep apnea?
The latest Forerunner and Vivoactive line of Garmin sports watches have features that allow them to monitor Sleep Apnea once the user applies a software update. These watches record motion and heart rate data and combine them to obtain greater insights into the wearer's sleep behavior.
Currently, even the most advanced smartwatches and fitness trackers can only detect the possibility of sleep apnea, and recommend that you seek further diagnosis. Only a sleep study analyzed by a board-certified clinician can diagnose obstructive sleep apnea.
Many modern CPAP machines now include sleep tracking functions, but that only helps if you've already been diagnosed with sleep apnea. However, wearables such as Fitbit or the Apple Watch may be able to clue you in on your sleep quality and even track sleep apnea.
ApneaApp is a contactless solution for detecting sleep apnea events by monitoring the minute chest and abdomen movements caused by breathing on smartphones. Our system works with the phone away from the subject and can simultaneously identify and track the fine-grained breathing movements from multiple subjects.
Conclusion: HR tachogram patterns derived from ambulatory ECGs provide a simple method for identifying sleep apnea syndrome and other sleep disturbances in patients without major autonomic dysfunction.
That's because it's considered normal for everyone to have up to four apneas an hour. It's also common if your AHIs vary from night to night. For some CPAP users, even higher AHIs are acceptable, depending on the severity of your sleep apnea.
Some people have sleep apnoea every night, but for others, sleep apnoea may be only an occasional problem that fluctuates with the seasons or depends on specific circumstances. If this is you, having a sleep apnoea treatment that you can easily store and pull out as appropriate can be very helpful.
The most common symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include: Loud snoring. Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which would be reported by another person. Gasping for air during sleep.
A sleep study is the most accurate way to diagnose sleep apnea. It is an evaluation of your breathing and body functions overnight. There are two types of sleep studies: Polysomnography and home-based portable monitor.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep that's interrupted five to 15 times per hour is defined as mild sleep apnea. Fifteen to 30 so-called “events” are rated as moderate sleep apnea, and the presence of more than 30 events per night is classified as severe sleep apnea.
What does sleep apnea look like on heart rate?
Heart rate slowed 9.5 beats per minute (bpm) during apneas of 10-19 s in duration, 11.4 bpm during 20-39s apneas, and 16.6 bpm during 40-59-s apneas.
The heart rate decrease (delta HRA) and the increase in total respiratory cycle duration (TOT) were evaluated during apnoea in non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Patients with OSA demonstrated a decrease in heart rate during apnoea (-14.4 +/- 9.0 beats.

Conclusion: ECG analysis is useful for the detection of sleep apnea and may help to differentiate causes of cardiac arrhythmias.
By leveraging the optical heart rate sensor on the watch, we measure heart rate and Heart Rate Variability (the time measured between each heartbeat) which combined with the accelerometer allows us to determine when you fall asleep, when you wake up, and what level of sleep you are in.
Your sleep will be assigned a score on a scale of 0–100, summarizing the overall quality of your sleep: Excellent: 90–100. Good: 80–89. Fair: 60–79.
The reasons why your stress score would be higher while you are sleep are, in many cases, the same as why it could be high while you're awake – being unwell, being poorly rested, being under the influence of alcohol, having over-trained, or having had a stressful day at work.
When the percentage of oxygen saturation falls below 94%, that is called a desaturation. If the total number of desaturations divided by the total time is 5 or more desaturations per hour, then that is considered mild sleep apnea.
There are three forms of sleep apnea: central, obstructive, and complex. The most common of these is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Not all snorers have apnea, but the two often go hand-in-hand. As snoring gets louder, chances of having sleep apnea are greater and greater. If you have apnea, your bed partner might notice that the snores are punctuated by pauses in breathing. Those are apnea episodes, and they can recur hundreds of times a night.
The Apnoea–Hypopnea Index (AHI) is used to classify the severity of the illness: mild AHI 5 to <15; moderate 15 to <30; and severe 30 or more [5].
How many times a night do you wake up with sleep apnea?
“Adrenaline kicks in, the chest starts to work, the heart starts beating faster, they wake up for two to three seconds, then their body goes back to sleep and they don't remember a thing about it.” This process happens throughout the night and in severe cases of sleep apnea, people wake up a staggering 15 to 25 times ...
Those with the sleep disorder can have increased insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and the body storing more fat, especially belly fat. Sleep apnea may cause metabolic dysfunction through a few different pathways.
More than usual daytime sleepiness. Waking up with a dry throat or headache. Waking up often during the night. Difficulty concentrating or mood changes during the day.
Your Sleep Position
Sleeping on your back can make your sleep apnea worse— this is because your tongue can fall back towards your throat and press against your airway. Any extra weight or pressure, such as body fat, around your airway can block it while you're on your back also. Instead, try sleeping on your side.
It's well known in medical circles that an estimated 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, with the vast majority of cases still undiagnosed. Some statistics on sleep apnea mortality estimate that at least 38,000 people die annually from heart disease directly complicated by sleep apnea.
Anything that could narrow your airway such as obesity, large tonsils, or changes in your hormone levels can increase your risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea happens when your brain does not send the signals needed to breathe.
Excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue are the hallmark symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when a child stops breathing during sleep. The cessation of breathing usually occurs because there is a blockage (obstruction) in the airway. Obstructive sleep apnea affects many children and is most commonly found in children between 2 and 6 years of age, but can occur at any age.
3 Ways Sleep Apnea Can Be Diagnosed Without a Sleep Study
Fortunately, there are other ways for doctors to diagnose you. A doctor might: Examine you and evaluate your symptoms. Doctors can check your airway for blockages or look for swelling.
The gold standard for diagnosis of OSA is attended polysomnography (level I study), which involves collection of seven or more data channels, including electroencephalogram and electrooculogram for sleep staging, electromyogram, electrocardiogram and respiratory channels.
Do I need a CPAP if I have mild sleep apnea?
While all people with mild OSA may not need to be treated with CPAP, there are patients who can greatly benefit from it.
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition. Mild cases can be improved with lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, an increase in physical activity, or quitting smoking and drinking. However, in all cases, CPAP therapy remains the gold standard for treatment.
If left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can shorten your life from anywhere between 12-15 years. While there is no permanent cure for obstructive sleep apnea, diagnosis and treatment will alleviate its effects. Proper treatment can ensure that your OSA won't shorten your life.
Home sleep testing also might be an option. Tests to detect sleep apnea include: Nocturnal polysomnography. During this test, you're hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.
Actigraphy or wrist movement detection allows the band to detect your movement to track your sleep patterns. It primarily uses the gyroscope or accelerometer to track your movements and also detect which stage of the sleep cycle you are in. Some smartwatches use heart rate sensors to monitor your heart rate reading.
Scientists agree that sleep is essential to health, and while stages 1 to 4 and REM sleep are all important, deep sleep is the most essential of all for feeling rested and staying healthy. The average healthy adult gets roughly 1 to 2 hours of deep sleep per 8 hours of nightly sleep.
Advanced sleep tracking in compatible Garmin devices takes into account multiple factors to help you understand your sleep1. In addition to the basics, such as when you fell asleep and when you woke up, you can see times when you were awake and how much time you spent in key sleep stages (light, deep, REM).
The deep sleep phase can last from 20 to 40 minutes in the first sleep cycle and will progressively decrease over the course of the night. You should spend about 10% to 15% of time asleep in the deep sleep stage.