Smartwatches like the Apple Watch have loads of features. Some, however, are slightly delayed getting to market due to regulatory approvals. Today the local health watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has given the tick of approval to allow smart watches to act as sleep apnoea detectors. Here's how to use it.

What is sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder that causes your breathing to stop and start throughout the night. It’s often linked to poor sleep, loud snoring, and chronic fatigue — and it affects over a million Australians, most of whom don’t know they have it. Left untreated, it can lead to more serious issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, and even increased stroke risk.

How does the Apple Watch track sleep apnoea?

With the launch of watchOS 11 and iOS 18, Apple Watch can now help detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea. The watch uses a sensor it’s had for years — the accelerometer — to pick up subtle wrist movements tied to irregular breathing. From that data, it calculates something Apple calls “Breathing Disturbances.”

You’ll be able to check these disturbances in the Health app on your iPhone or iPad. Apple classifies your nightly results as either “elevated” or “not elevated” — and over time, it builds up a picture of whether your sleep patterns suggest a larger issue. If it detects consistent signs of sleep apnoea over multiple nights, you’ll get a notification encouraging you to speak with your doctor. It even generates a downloadable report with three months of breathing data to take with you.

It’s not a medical diagnosis, but it’s a pretty solid nudge.

Why did the TGA delay sleep apnoea tracking?

Any feature that edges into medical territory needs TGA approval before it can legally launch in Australia.

Apple had to prove its algorithm worked reliably — which, according to the company, involved an unusually large clinical validation study.

Everyone flagged by the algorithm in the study had at least mild sleep apnoea, which gave the TGA the confidence to green-light the feature here.

How to use it on your Apple Watch

Here’s what you need to get started:

• An Apple Watch Series 10 or later (or a compatible older model with watchOS 11)

• An iPhone running iOS 18

• Sleep Focus enabled and your Apple Watch worn to bed

• The Health app configured to track your sleep

Sleep apnoea notifications don’t show up immediately.

Apple Health reviews your data every 30 days, so it may take a while before you get any alerts — if at all.

But for those unknowingly dealing with sleep apnoea, this could be the first step toward actually getting help.