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The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

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Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#91
post #18

97% accuracy seems high, but with an approximate sales number of 10 million Apple watches, it will give 300 thousand users an incorrect diagnosis.

For this project like for self-driving cars, I believe that releasing machine-learning early in the wild “too early” has a dynamic benefit: we learn earlier and the bump in misdiagnostics pays for better diagnostic down the line.

To argue that, you need an estimate of the rate of progress with and without a deployment which I would assume is not a stretch.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#92
post #73

The only downside to the Apple Watch in my book is the short battery life which should theoretically make it impractical for sleep tracking. I was recently stupefied to discover Nokia Steel [1] and how virtually unknown it is to the general public, my former self included. It comes with great design, no bullshit digital screen, the usual tracking features, and most importantly seems like it's a return to form for Nok…

Battery life has come a long way since the original Apple Watch (which I had to charge every night). With the Series 2 I only use about 15-20% of the battery during the day and can charge it back up to 100% in the time between getting into bed and going to sleep.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#93
post #44

It's quite interesting - the way we have evolved as a society has completely broken the link between "us and our body". We have stopped listening to it a long time ago. If we really listened to our bodies, we wouldn't eat/drink/consume stuff we don't need, we wouldn't be overweight, and we'd rapidly be aware of any health-related imbalance which needs restoring. But no, we forget our original (and free-of-charge) way…

Mmmh… The watch tells you to meditate and can even help you do it.

It’s less about “listening to your body” than remind you regularly about obvious things. Some people (like me) can focus quite easily (which is great to write code) but can get lost in their task. I know that I regularly realise that the sun is up when I keep on coding after dinner. That’s eight to ten hours that have gone by without me moving an inch. Having a reminder to go to bed has helped.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#95

Danger, danger: heavily regulated waters ahead! Remember these words well: "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

I came to say "danger, danger" but for another reason. I think a whole generation of fitbit users are going to be horrified when their insurance premiums go up based on data that was purchased by insurers. If Apple watch starts making a health play, I don't see why it would be any different.

And those that can't provide that data will see even greater hikes. Insurers hate uncertainty.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#96
post #44

It's quite interesting - the way we have evolved as a society has completely broken the link between "us and our body". We have stopped listening to it a long time ago. If we really listened to our bodies, we wouldn't eat/drink/consume stuff we don't need, we wouldn't be overweight, and we'd rapidly be aware of any health-related imbalance which needs restoring. But no, we forget our original (and free-of-charge) way…

If I really listen to my body it's telling me to eat and drink everything I can get my hands on. That's what it's programmed to do. What you're trying to say is that the more primal cravings should be ignored and we should be very conscious of what we eat / drink / do. Body still tells me to sit in a couch and eat myself to an early death though.

If your body appears to be telling you that it is probably because there is something wrong with the way you’re living your life.

Now, you can wait until you’re on your death bed before you realise it, or you can pay attention to this signal your body is giving you right now that something needs to change in your life. The latter is too terrifying to consider for most people, and the former feels quite distant, so most people just carry on as “normal” with their mostly dysfunctional lives.

Listening do your body doesn’t mean acting on every impulse you feel. If I feel like smashing something, that doesn’t mean I need to immediately do it. But it is wise to ask myself, why do I feel this? Am I angry? Why am I angry? What just happened that cause this reaction in me? What clarity can this anger bring me? Should I do something about it?

The same for your body’s signals. Why do you feel like this? What has caused this unhealthy craving? Your hypothesis that this is an evolutionary pressure is interesting but easily disproved by speaking to a wide cross section of people with balanced lifestyles who don’t seem to be perpetually driven by cravings to eat everything in sight. Are they fundamentally different from you? Probably not. So what is different about the choices you make each day that lead you to live in a constant state of craving food and drink, rathet than a more balanced state of being?

Those are important but tough questions. Most people don’t bother.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#97
post #73

The only downside to the Apple Watch in my book is the short battery life which should theoretically make it impractical for sleep tracking. I was recently stupefied to discover Nokia Steel [1] and how virtually unknown it is to the general public, my former self included. It comes with great design, no bullshit digital screen, the usual tracking features, and most importantly seems like it's a return to form for Nok…

This is interesting, I was searching for replacements for Pebble since the acquisition and this is a promising option.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#98
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hypertension presents no symptoms and left undiagnosed can lead to kidney failure. It's often referred to by doctors as 'the silent killer', and you don't need to eat like shit and be fat to have it. Going to your GP 2-3 times a year and getting your blood pressure checked (and your blood tested for the 'regular stuff') solves the problem. 'Listening to your body' pseudoscience doesn't really solve the problem.

Wouldn't you say that things like hypertension are only the result of something? What I am thinking of is this: Listen to what your body tells you when you do the things that lead to problems like hypertension.

I recommend reading Wilber’s Grace and Grit for a more balanced view of “aren’t things like hypertension the result of something”?

Otherwise you might find yourself on a slippery slope where you start implying that cancer sufferers brought it on themselves, etc.

Wilber’s book, about his wife who died of cancer, offers a powerful perspective that’s also grounded in mindfulness and explicitly discusses this topic and how to approach it more sensitively.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#99
post #73

The only downside to the Apple Watch in my book is the short battery life which should theoretically make it impractical for sleep tracking. I was recently stupefied to discover Nokia Steel [1] and how virtually unknown it is to the general public, my former self included. It comes with great design, no bullshit digital screen, the usual tracking features, and most importantly seems like it's a return to form for Nok…

I recently got an Apple Watch series 3 (non-cellular) and I can use it for three days before needing to charge it. It’s my understanding that this wasn’t the case with the previous versions, the series 3 battey life has been drastically improved.

Re: The Apple Watch can detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests

#100

I'm skeptical about the accuracy of applications like this running on Apple Watch. I bought the Apple Watch Series 3 precisely because of articles like this. I now routinely get messages about how I've achieved my standing goal - while lying in bed watching TV or working on my laptop. If it can't accurately tell whether you're lying down or standing, it is unimaginable to me that it could be remotely accurate in dete…

I have completed the calorie/move daily goal message while eating a donut. That made me chuckle.
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