Technology
Got Nightmares? An Apple Watch May Help
A watch-based program can detect and disrupt nightmares for those with PTSD or nightmare disorder.
Got nightmares? The US Food and Drug Administration recently gave marketing authorization to an Apple Watch app to detect and disrupt adults' nightmares with either post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Let’s look at how the NightWare system does its work.
Creating a unique sleep profile
The NightWare system creates an algorithm to build a unique sleep profile for an individual. Body movement changes and heart rate help in the creation of the profile. The Apple Watch does the monitoring and then sends the information to the manufacturer’s server
The computer then determines if a person is experiencing a nightmare. The watch responds by vibrating and thus interrupting the nightmare. The sleeping person does not usually fully awaken. Sleepwalkers are not candidates for the approach, nor or those who do violence during nightmares.
This approach offers great promise, especially given that nightmares are associated with a higher risk of suicide, heart disease, and other psychological challenges. For PTSD and nightmare disorders, physicians sometimes offer a variety of…
