Withings launches sleep apnoea tracker and analyser

Connected health player Withings, has launched Sleep Analyzer, an unobtrusive sleep tracker that uses sensors and technology to analyse sleep and detect sleep apnoea.

Available in the EU and U.K., after receiving CE marking for medical devices, Sleep Analyzer has been created in conjunction with sleep experts and clinically validated to provide medical-grade analysis and sleep apnoea detection from home. It will be available in the U.S., pending FDA clearance.

One billion people are estimated to suffer from mild to severe sleep apnoea. However, 8 out of 10 people don’t know they have it. An abstract released in 2018 by ResMed, also noted that around 175 million Europeans have obstructive sleep apnoea. Therefore Withings has produced a home sleep apnoea detection device that doesn't need to be worn.

Requiring a one-time setup, Sleep Analyzer includes a sound sensor that specifically tracks snoring signals, one indicator of sleep apnoea that’s among those monitored by the mat. When users get up in the morning, they can see if any sleep apnoea episodes occurred over night in the accompanying Health Mate app. Results can be shared through the app with physicians or sleep specialists for further review and diagnosis.

Sleep Analyzer’s sleep apnoea detection capability has been validated through a clinical study with Hôpital Antoine Béclère in France and Hôpital St-Pierre in Belgium. The study compared Sleep Analyzer to a Polysomnography (PSG) analysis, which is performed on patients in sleep clinics, to confirm the mat’s precision to perform diagnostic test of sleep apnoea syndrome to find moderate to severe cases. The clinical study that had 118 patient participants found Sleep Analyzer had similar average Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) results, which measures the severity of sleep, as a PSG. Sleep Analyzer’s average AHI was 32.5 compared to 32.8 by PSG. 

Sleep Analyzer is a sleek 25” x 7.5” mat that fits under the mattress and after setup provides an in-depth look at users’ nights. Like its predecessor, Withings Sleep, it uses a pneumatic sensor to measure respiratory rate, body movement and continuous heart rate to track users’ sleep cycles (deep, light and REM) and cycle durations as well as users’ overall sleep durations and interruptions. Additionally, it uses the sound sensor to also detect snoring and share with users the number of snoring episodes they experience each night and their durations.

Each morning, users can access their Sleep Score in the Health Mate app, which shows how well they slept that night before, based on sleep duration, depth regularity and interruptions. Along with their Sleep Score, users can see all of their in-depth sleep data in the Health Mate app for each night as well as overarching trends and receive insights into how to better improve their overall sleep. All data collected by Sleep Analyzer can be shared with physicians through the Health Mate app. 

Thanks to an IFTTT integration, users can create home automation scenarios to control lights, temperature and other smart devices just by getting in and out of bed.