ApneaappSnoring can be annoying. Sleep apnea can be life threatening. And the University of Washington says it has developed an Android app that can identify sleep apnea events at home as accurately as a hospital device 98 percent of the time.

ApneaApp isn’t yet available to consumers, and may not be for a couple of years. But the UW says a clinical study has shown its high rate of accuracy when compared to hospital polysomnography, a more intrusive and expensive evaluation that requires an overnight hospital stay and costs thousands of dollars.

The new app runs on Android smartphones that have at least two microphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5, and the HTC One. It works by using inaudible sound waves that come from the phone’s speakers to keep track of breathing patterns. It can distinguish between two different sleepers (as long as they’re about 10 centimeters apart), requires no attached sensors, and — significantly — is far less costly and disruptive than what is considered the “gold standard” of the overnight hospital test.

“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,” according to a statement by study co-author Dr. Nathaniel F. Watson, professor of neurology and co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center. Sleep apnea is a condition that affects roughly one in 13 Americans, and not only makes it harder to stay awake during the day, but can increase risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart problems, depression and diabetes.

Its most obvious symptom is snorting or gasping while sleeping, as breathing becomes shallow and pauses due to an obstructed airway.

The sonar-like app screens out other audible background noise and, according to the UW’s tests, works from up to three feet away, in any sleeping position and even if the sleeper is under a blanket. It also can provide far more diagnostic detail when used over several nights or weeks than any single night test in a hospital. Ideally, those who exhibit potential signs of sleep apnea after using Apnea App will then seek treatment.

UW researchers are looking into Food and Drug Administration approval as they continue research. The clinical study will be presented at the MobiSys 2015 conference next month in Florence, Italy, and an abstract will be part of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies meeting in Seattle this June.

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