A study in the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that a smartphone can be used to effectively monitor snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in a controlled laboratory setting. Researchers in Japan attached an ordinary smartphone to the chest of patients, using a custom-made program to analyze the snoring sounds. Results show that the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) estimated by the smartphone highly correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) obtained by polysomnography (PSG). A commentary suggests that this advance could pave the way for widespread screening for OSA.
