Sheffield researchers launch new app to help people sleep better at night

AI is being commercialised through a new iOS app - SoundSleep - that enables people to monitor their breathing while they sleep and help them discover the causes, factors and solutions to snoring and sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea using their smartphone

Sleep disorders are usually diagnosed in specialist sleep clinics, but these can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for patients, even more so during the pandemic

Proof of who snores the loudest and advice on how to stop it may finally be coming to families across the country thanks to artificial intelligence developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield

The AI, developed by Professor Guy Brown and Dr Ning Ma from the University’s Speech and Hearing Research Group, can monitor snoring levels and identify sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea.

The technology is being commercialised through a new app - SoundSleep - available on iOS devices and soon to be available on Android.

Currently, the app uses the Sheffield AI to enable people to monitor the sounds they make while sleeping through their smartphone. The app records and tracks snoring levels and provides nightly reports to help people discover the causes, factors and solutions.

However, the Sheffield team have now developed the AI to be able to diagnose sleep apnoea caused by sleep disorders.

Dr Ning Ma, research fellow in the department of computer science, said: “We understand that finding that secret to a good night’s sleep can seem stressful and confusing, so what we are trying to do with our research is use the latest, state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to help people get to the bottom of what is preventing them from getting a good night’s sleep as easily as possible.”

For more on the Speech and Hearing Research Group, visit www.sheffield.ac.uk. To access the app visit https://soundsleep.info/