Apple Watch's sleep apnea detection feature available in Taiwan

Taipei, July 16 (CNA) The sleep apnea detection feature on Apple Watch has become available in Taiwan after it received approval from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) for use as a medical device, Apple said Wednesday.

On its website, Apple said the sleep apnea function is now available in Taiwan on the Apple Watch series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Sleep apnea refers to a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. The sleep-related breathing disorder is likely to affect physical and mental health conditions.

So far, more than 150 countries and regions around the world have gained access to Apple Watch's sleep apnea feature.

Apple Watch users can detect sleep apnea by wearing the watch for several nights in a row to get an initial reading through Breathing Disturbances detection functions listed on a health app.

According to Apple, sleep apnea detection on Apple Watch uses the device's accelerometer for 30 minutes a day to monitor tiny movements in the wrist that are linked to interruptions in respiratory patterns.

Disturbances occurring multiple times over several nights after an analysis of the 30-minute records can indicate sleep apnea.

Local news media reported recently that more than 400,000 people in Taiwan suffer from sleep apnea, which trigger strokes, dementia, heart attacks and myocardial infarction.

Meanwhile, Apple also secured approval from the MOHW to provide a hearing test feature to users of wireless Bluetooth earbud AirPods Pro 2.

The feature can evaluate how well AirPods users perceive different sound frequencies and tones, which will potentially offer early indicators of hearing challenges.

The hearing aid on AirPods Pro 2 is also available to users who have a mild or moderate hearing loss, according to Apple.