San Francisco, Feb 9 (IANS): Samsung Electronics on Friday announced that the sleep apnea feature on its Health Monitor app for smartwatch has received the approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The feature will detect signs of sleep apnea using a compatible Samsung Galaxy Watch and phone.

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) had approval the feature last October in South Korea.

The sleep apnea feature will enable users over the age of 22 who have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea to detect signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) over a two-night monitoring period.

To utilise the feature, users will be able to simply track their sleep twice for more than four hours within a 10-day period.

Untreated sleep apnea can compound the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias and stroke.

The feature will be available on the Galaxy Watch series in the US via Samsung Health Monitor app in the third quarter, said the company.

“Users should not use this feature to replace traditional methods of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified clinician. The data provided by this device is also not intended to assist clinicians in diagnosing sleep disorders,” informed the company.