The Intuition Brain Health Study uses a free Apple Watch and your own iPhone to help determine what is normal aging and what can be an early warning sign of something more serious.
Your Apple Watch tracks your activity and sleep habits. What kind of data is collected and how can it be used to detect early warning signs of dementia?
Here are 3 of many ways:
STEPS: Many people count how many steps they take, but how fast you walk is also important. A slowing or uneven walking speed may predict dementia 12 years before a clinical diagnosis.
HEART RATE: Our heart beats slowly when we relax and speeds up when we exercise. But in dementia patients, the rate stays the same. This is another early warning sign of brain disease.
SLEEP: Dementia often makes it difficult to sleep. It is important to catch this problem early because poor sleep makes dementia worse, which affects sleep even more, creating a downward spiral...
These are just a few examples of the Apple
Watch's huge potential to track the early warning signs of dementia. If we can catch symptoms early, we have a much better chance of finding a cure!