On Sept. 9, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 11, which includes new tools to help users track and improve sleep quality.
Sleep score tracks quality and patterns
The Apple Watch Series 11 collects sleep data such as heart rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, respiratory rate and possible sleep apnea. A new feature, sleep score, analyzes this data to provide a comprehensive view of sleep quality. The score considers sleep duration, bedtime consistency, nighttime awakenings and time spent in each sleep stage to assign clear, easy-to-understand metrics for overall sleep quality. Sleep score provides also highlights key components so users can see what to prioritize to improve their sleep.
The scoring algorithm was developed and tested using data from more than five million nights of sleep collected through the Apple Heart and Movement Study.
Sleep score joins other health features on Apple Watch, including irregular rhythm notifications, high and low heart rate alerts, blood oxygen tracking and sleep apnea notifications. The new watch also provides notifications for signs of chronic high blood pressure, with FDA clearance expected soon.
Sleep score is available with watchOS 26 on Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) or later, and all Apple Watch Ultra models, paired with iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.
Sleep apnea notifications on the Apple Watch
Apple first introduced obstructive sleep apnea notifications with Apple Watch Series 10 in September 2024. A metric called “breathing disturbances” detects consistent signs of OSA. Nightly data is available in the Health app on iPhone, with disturbances classified as elevated or not elevated. Users receive notifications if the algorithm identifies consistent signs of OSA. Apple received FDA 510(k) clearance (K240929) for this feature on Sept. 13, 2024.
Listen to the Talking Sleep podcast for insights on the Apple Watch sleep apnea screening algorithm.
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