People who make a noise can soon detect themselves whether they suffer from sleep apnea. A team of researchers has developed an app for smartphones that can wirelessly detect whether an individual suffers from sleep apnea or not.

"Right now we don't have enough sleep clinics, sleep laboratories and sleep specialists in the country to address all the sleep apnea that is out there," said Dr Nathaniel F Watson, the study co-author from the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Centre.

In contrast to other routine tests used to detect sleep apnea, the recently innovated sonar app called “ApneaApp” uses the inaudible waves originating from the speakers of the phone. The waves reportedly tracks the breathing pattern of the person in question, thus eliminating the need for any special sensors or equipments to diagnose the condition.

The clinical trial for the app showed promising results. Reportedly, the app was as successful as the polysomnography tests performed by the hospitals for detection of sleep apnea, and was found to be 98 percent successful. The researchers expect the app to be made available to the users within next two years.

"These initial results are impressive and suggest that ApneaApp has the potential to be a simple, noninvasive way for the average person to identify sleep apnea events at home and hopefully seek treatment," said Watson.

More than 25 million Americans are affected by sleep apnea. The disorder is characterised by or a gasp, resulting due to an obstruction in the pathway for air. Untreated is known to increase the risk of stroke, heart problems, hypertension, and depression.

The study findings and the clinical results will be presented at the MobiSys 2015 conference in May.

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