Those struggling with sleep issues may find relief through innovative wearable devices that could change the way we approach sleep.
Recently introduced at the American Thoracic Society’s 2025 International Conference, this device is a ring-shaped pulse oximeter designed to effectively monitor obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other common breathing disruptions during sleep.
Unlike traditional sleep studies that require patients to spend the night in a lab hooked up to numerous wires, this wearable can easily be used at home over extended periods.
By connecting to a smartphone app, users can share their sleep data with both healthcare providers and themselves.
“This approach leverages digital medicine to create opportunities for shared decision-making between patients and providers,” noted Ketan Mehta, who leads Products and Engineering at Connected Wearables.
In the clinical trials, participants were expected to wear the device for nine nights across 47 days. Surprisingly, 85% of them exceeded the minimum recommended usage, with one individual wearing it for an impressive 44 nights.
“Interestingly, one sleep expert suggested that gathering data over 25 nights or more could prove more beneficial than the single overnight study, which is the traditional benchmark,” Mehta added.
While popular devices like the Apple Watch and Oura Ring have started to incorporate sleep apnea detection features, they haven’t received medical approval yet.
In contrast, this new ring device holds FDA approval, effectively bridging the gap between bulky clinical devices and less reliable consumer products.
The introduction of this device aligns with a growing trend toward creating user-friendly, at-home sleep monitoring technologies.
Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Cambridge unveiled “smart pajamas” that can also identify sleep disorders, including apnea, with an impressive accuracy rate of 98.6%.
“Lack of sleep significantly affects both our physical and mental well-being, making effective sleep monitoring crucial,” remarked Luigi Occhipinti, a professor at Cambridge University.
He emphasized that while polysomnography (PSG) is the established method for sleep monitoring, it can be quite costly and complex, making it impractical for regular home use.
Sleep apnea is prevalent and characterized by repeated breathing interruptions during sleep, often due to airway blockages or inadequate brain signaling.
If left untreated, it poses serious health risks, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and extreme daytime fatigue, which, let’s face it, isn’t something anyone wants to deal with.
