About
Apneal is an innovative AI-powered solution tackling the global sleep apnea crisis — over 900 million people are affected worldwide and 80% remain undiagnosed. By leveraging sensors already built into modern smartphones (accelerometer, gyroscope, and microphone), Apneal captures critical overnight data including breathing patterns, movement, nighttime sounds, and chest vibrations linked to heartbeats, delivering a medical-grade sleep exam without costly clinic visits or complex equipment. The setup is simple: users secure their smartphone with a breathable adhesive bandage and sleep naturally. Compatible with over 95% of smartphones, the app operates in airplane mode for safety, then processes recordings using advanced AI to generate clear, easy-to-understand reports covering sleep quality, respiratory patterns, and detected apnea events. Apneal serves the full sleep disorder care pathway: patients receive a stress-reduced diagnostic experience; sleep specialists gain data-driven support for choosing between polygraphy and polysomnography; frontline clinicians get a reliable first-level screening tool with integrated questionnaires; and home care providers can improve patient adherence and monitor treatment over time. The platform is undergoing large-scale European clinical validation across 20 centers in France, Germany, and Spain with over 1,000 patients, benchmarked against polysomnography — the gold standard in sleep diagnostics. CE Class IIa certification is in progress, positioning Apneal as a clinically credible and accessible alternative to traditional sleep studies.
Key Features
- Smartphone-Based Sleep Monitoring: Uses built-in smartphone sensors — accelerometer, gyroscope, and microphone — to capture breathing patterns, movement, and heart-linked chest vibrations during sleep. Compatible with over 95% of modern devices.
- AI-Powered Sleep Analysis: Advanced AI algorithms process overnight recordings to generate accurate, easy-to-understand reports including sleep quality scores, respiratory event detection, and pattern analysis.
- Clinical-Grade Validation: Validated against polysomnography (the gold standard in sleep diagnostics) through a large-scale European clinical study involving over 1,000 patients across 20 centers in France, Germany, and Spain.
- Long-Term Disorder Monitoring: Supports ongoing sleep disorder management and treatment follow-up, enabling both patients and care providers to track progress and adherence over time with regular testing.
- Multi-Stakeholder Reporting: Delivers tailored insights for patients, sleep specialists, frontline clinicians, and home care providers, streamlining the entire sleep apnea care pathway from screening to treatment.
Use Cases
- At-home sleep apnea screening for patients who lack access to traditional sleep clinics or wish to avoid overnight hospital stays.
- First-level clinical screening by general practitioners and frontline healthcare professionals using integrated questionnaires and AI-generated reports.
- Decision support for sleep specialists determining whether a patient requires polygraphy or full polysomnography for definitive diagnosis.
- Long-term treatment adherence monitoring for home care providers managing patients already diagnosed with sleep apnea.
- Large-scale population health research and clinical epidemiological studies on sleep-related breathing disorders across diverse patient cohorts.
Pros
- No Specialized Equipment Required: Works with the smartphone users already own, eliminating the need for costly clinical sleep study hardware or overnight lab visits.
- Clinically Validated Accuracy: Undergoing rigorous benchmarking against polysomnography with CE Class IIa certification in progress, providing confidence in its medical-grade reliability.
- Natural, Comfortable Sleep Experience: A simple adhesive bandage setup allows patients to sleep in any position at home with no disruptive wires or bulky equipment.
- Addresses the Full Care Pathway: Benefits every stakeholder — from initial patient screening to specialist decision-making and long-term home monitoring — improving efficiency across the system.
Cons
- Still Awaiting Full Regulatory Approval: CE Class IIa certification is in progress and not yet finalized, which may limit availability in certain markets or restrict use to research and pilot settings.
- No Self-Service Access: Interested users must contact the Apneal team directly — there is no public app store download or self-sign-up, creating friction for individual patients or smaller clinics.
- Narrowly Focused on Sleep Disorders: Apneal is purpose-built for sleep-related breathing disorders and does not extend to broader health monitoring or other medical domains.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Apneal perform a sleep study?
Apneal uses your smartphone's built-in sensors — accelerometer, gyroscope, and microphone — to record breathing patterns, movement, sound, and chest vibrations while you sleep. The phone is secured with a soft adhesive bandage, operated in airplane mode, and the data is then analyzed by AI to produce a detailed sleep apnea report.
Is my smartphone compatible with Apneal?
Over 95% of modern smartphones are compatible with Apneal, as it relies on standard sensors already found in the vast majority of devices on the market today.
Has Apneal been clinically validated?
Yes. Apneal is undergoing a large-scale European clinical study with over 1,000 patients across 20 centers in France, Germany, and Spain, validated simultaneously against polysomnography. Preliminary results from earlier studies have shown highly promising accuracy, and CE Class IIa certification is in progress.
Who is Apneal designed for?
Apneal serves the full spectrum of the sleep disorder care pathway: patients needing convenient home-based screening, sleep specialists requiring diagnostic decision support, frontline clinicians performing first-level assessments, and home care providers managing long-term patient adherence.
How can I get access to Apneal?
Access is currently available by contacting the Apneal team directly via their website. The solution is primarily targeted at healthcare professionals, care providers, hospitals, and medical decision-makers rather than individual consumers.
