Abu Dhabi launches study to map how AI can manage sleep apnoea

Abu Dhabi will conduct a 12-week, first-of-its-kind clinical study to understand sleep apnoea and how AI-powered tech will improve the way the condition is managed.

Conducted in partnership with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Eight Sleep the initial study will focus on sleep apnoea, one of the most underdiagnosed sleep-related conditions globally, and examine how smart bed technology, including real-time adjustments to body position, may impact it. 

During the study, Eight Sleep's technology will capture continuous sleep and physiological signals such as heart rate, breathing rate, movement, snoring, and positional data. Uniquely, this information will be connected into Abu Dhabi’s intelligent health system, allowing researchers to analyse these signals alongside participants real-time health data, including relevant clinical, genomic and lifestyle data, to identify patterns that may help to inform future treatment pathways and clinical research.

The study will be conducted by Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, an Abu Dhabi medical research hospital, and will operate with built-in oversight, governance, and data protection protocols.

"Quality sleep is one of the strongest foundations of long-term health, yet common sleep disorders like sleep apnoea can significantly undermine it, raising the risk of serious health conditions when left unmanaged," highlighted Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.

The findings are expected to contribute to the evidence base for how consumer health technology can be responsibly integrated into clinical care and preventive health models.

The research will also help evaluate how continuous sleep monitoring can complement existing clinical assessments and support future healthcare planning across the emirate.

While the initial study focuses on sleep apnoea, DoH and Eight Sleep plan to study how sleep, temperature regulation, and recovery effect other areas of health, such as menopause and cancer care. The findings are expected to help show how everyday consumer health devices can be used safely and responsibly within clinical care and prevention.