Brits have embraced a new era of optimisation, with people investing more time, money and energy into improving their health and performance – but new research suggests one of the most powerful performance tools is still being overlooked: recovery, with just 23% saying resting and recovering properly is something they prioritise when working towards a fitness goal.

From premium running shoes and protein powders to wearable technology and wellness subscriptions, the pursuit of peak performance has become big business, with Brits increasingly adopting the habits and tools once associated with professional athletes.

New research from Samsung for the Galaxy Watch Ultra2, found 82% say improving their physical health is a priority, while more than half (54%) hope to exercise more regularly over the next 12 months.

Yet despite this focus on optimisation, 48% agree rest and recovery are just as important as exercise, but 18% admit they find it difficult to prioritise, and just a quarter (25%) actively plan rest or recovery days into their routine.

In fact, more than half (55%) find the recovery process a hindrance, with 89% admitting they have pushed through tiredness to hit a fitness target or step count, rather than prioritising recovery.

The research reveals a growing ‘recovery gap’ between the effort people put into training and the attention they give to recovery. While Brits are increasingly adopting athlete-like approaches to performance, from tracking workouts to chasing personal bests, many are overlooking the role sleep, recovery and listening to their body play in helping them perform at their best.

And that imbalance could be making it harder to stay on track. Fitness goals fall by the wayside after an average of 33 days, while 37% have abandoned a fitness goal within 30 days of starting it.

But Brits recognise the potential benefits of understanding their bodies better. Seven in 10 (70%) agree that understanding how their body is responding to training and recovery would help them improve their fitness or performance, while 34% say personalised recovery insights would help them know when they need to rest and recover.

Experts say pushing harder isn’t always the answer. While exercise provides the stimulus for the body to adapt, it’s during recovery – through quality sleep, rest and allowing the body to repair – that those fitness gains are made.

Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, who has partnered with Samsung, says: “Recovery isn’t the reward for training, it’s part of the training. The sessions everyone sees are only possible because of everything that happens afterwards.

“Understanding when your body needs rest is just as important as knowing when to push.” 

For many Brits, knowing when to rest is still based largely on instinct. Adults are more likely to assess how their body is responding to exercise and recovery based on how they feel physically (53%) or their level of tiredness (40%), rather than taking a set approach (15%).

This comes as on 16% admit they only take a rest day if they feel sore, tired or run down.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra2 helps users take a more informed approach to training and recovery through personalised health insights, helping them better understand how their body is responding to exercise, sleep and rest.

Annika Bizon, Mobile Experience VP of Product and Marketing, Samsung UK & Ireland, says: “More people are taking their fitness seriously and challenging themselves to achieve more, but our research shows there’s still a gap between how people train and how they recover. In many ways, we’re training like athletes but recovering like amateurs.

“People want to be better informed about their health and what their bodies are telling them, and this is where technology can play an important role. By turning personal health data into tailored, actionable insights, people can understand when they might be ready to push themselves and when they might need more rest.”

Energy Score on the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 brings together insights including sleep, activity and heart rate to provide a daily indication of physical and mental readiness, while Daily Cardio Load¹ helps users understand the impact their workouts are having on their body over time.

Alongside detailed sleep tracking and personalised fitness features, Galaxy Watches can help users take a more informed approach to both sides of the performance equation – knowing when to push and when recovery should take priority. 

Additional stats:

• 36% of Brits struggle to stay motivated when the initial excitement of setting their goal wears off
• 27% say having more time in their schedule would help them stay on track with their fitness goals
• 34% admit they find it difficult to fit exercise around everyday commitments

1. To use the features, at least 7 days of activity records are required, while 28 days of continuous wear is recommended for optimal accuracy. Please note that values may increase in daily situations where heart rate rises, such as during tension, anxiety or stress. ︎

At Galaxy Unpacked July 2026 in London on July 22, Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, sat down with cognitive neuroscientist and science communicator Dr. Dong-seon Chang to explore how AI could make health management simpler and more connected.

Dr. Pak explained how the body changes from day to day and how AI can learn an individual’s daily rhythms and patterns to help transform fragmented health data into more meaningful, personalised guidance. He also introduced Samsung Health’s Connected Care vision, extending beyond devices and data to connect people — from healthcare professionals and families to partners across the broader health ecosystem.

Ultimately, the conversation pointed to a broader question of how society can embrace AI while keeping people at the centre.

Watch the video below to learn more about Samsung’s vision for healthcare that is simpler, more connected, and human-centred.

The Health Forum held at Galaxy Unpacked July 2026 also shared Samsung’s Connected Care vision for the next chapter of digital health — a future where care moves from reactive treatment toward preventive, personalised and connected experiences, supported by trusted health innovation and partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. One technology that is helping power these new consumer experiences is the health foundation model.

Researchers from the Digital Health Team at Samsung Research America (SRA) are developing new AI technologies to continuously understand a person’s health state from biosignals, generate health insights, and offer appropriate health guidance.

Samsung researchers recently introduced two foundation models based on wearable data: xMAE (Physiology-Aware Masked Cross-Modal Reconstruction for Biosignal Representation Learning), which learns the temporal relationship between different biosignals, and HiMAE (Hierarchical Masked Autoencoder), which understands health patterns across different time scales in wearable time-series data. Both studies demonstrate advancement of health AI models that can better understand the physiological relationships and temporal structure of biosignals.

Samsung’s work on xMAE and HiMAE models was accepted to the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), and the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), respectively, highlighting the significance of this research.

Health Foundation Models That Read the Body’s Signals: Why They Matter for Health 

A health foundation model is an AI model that uses self-supervised learning to learn meaningful features from unlabelled biosignal data. After being pretrained on large-scale health data, the models can be applied to perform a wide range of downstream health tasks, including biosignal analysis, developing new or improved biomarkers, and health issue prediction.

xMAE AI model: Continuous Cardiac Insight from Wearables

An electrocardiogram (ECG) on wearables directly measures the electrical activity of the heart and is useful for measuring heart rate and heart rate variability, identifying abnormal heart rhythms and risks for conditions such as atrial fibrillation.

ECG is highly accurate, but typically requires users to pause and take an active measurement. On the other hand, photoplethysmography (PPG) can indirectly measure cardiac function by detecting changes in blood flow and can be passively and continuously measured through sensors in wearable devices such as smartwatches.

The two signals originate from the same cardiac activity, but they appear with a certain time difference, much like thunder is heard after lightning is seen. xMAE is a biosignal pretraining framework designed to learn the temporal relationship between the two signals by reconstructing masked portions of the ECG signal using the more easily and continuously measured PPG signal. As a result, cardiovascular health-related features can be analysed more precisely using PPG without requiring separate manual ECG measurements.

The researchers pretrained xMAE using approximately 9,400 hours of ECG and PPG data. The model outperformed unimodal biosignal models and existing multimodal learning methods in 15 of 19 evaluation tasks, including cardiovascular disease prediction, abnormal test-result detection, and sleep-stage classification. The study also confirmed the potential to use the learned features across different sensor devices, body locations and data-gathering environments.

HiMAE AI model: Reading the Body at Every Time Scale on the Device

Health data measured from wearable devices can reveal different information depending on the time scale at which it is analysed. For example, short time segments can reveal rapidly changing signals such as heartbeats, while longer time segments can uncover patterns that accumulate over time, such as sleep or physical activity. This is similar to examining different information by zooming in and out of an image.

HiMAE is a self-supervised learning model that learns representation from wearable data across multiple time scales. It uses multiple encoders to analyse short and long segments separately, allowing the model to identify information required for each health task, such as heart rate analysis or sleep prediction, at the appropriate time scale. During training, the model reconstructs masked parts of the data. This enables it to learn key patterns in biosignals even when labelled data is limited.

A single pretrained HiMAE model handles classification, numerical prediction and data generation. The model achieved high performance while being smaller than existing models. It also improved computational efficiency to the point where it can produce results in less than one millisecond on a smartwatch-class central processing unit (CPU). Most importantly, HiMAE demonstrates the potential of on-device health foundation models for the first time—analysing raw health signals in real time, without relying on cloud servers.

The Next Step Toward Connected Care

Together, xMAE and HiMAE, represent an advance in AI models that precisely understand the physiological relationships and temporal structures unique to biosignals. Both models aim to deliver precise, continuous, personalised health insights and to generalise across many health tasks from a single pre-trained model. Hear more from the researchers behind this work below.

Simply wearing the new Galaxy Watch is all it takes to experience a whole new level of effortless wellness. Galaxy Watch works continuously in the background, making comprehensive healthcare a seamless part of your daily routine. Powered by all-new internal components and enhanced battery life, the upcoming Watch is built to track your health for longer and with greater accuracy. 

Galaxy Watch has always understood us in ways we can’t always see — tracking how we rest, move and sleep. Now enhanced with intelligent, AI-driven insights, it is evolving to help us better understand and proactively manage our health in real time. 

Join us for Galaxy Unpacked on July 22 at 2 p.m. BST as we introduce the next evolution of Galaxy Watch. Discover how the new Galaxy Watch empowers you to take control of your wellness and live a healthier life within a connected AI ecosystem. 

Designed to expand the narrative beyond the film, the experience bridges the world of Spider-Man: Brand New Day with real world campaign moments that include cast appearances and interviews, spotlighting live activations, content drops, hidden easter eggs, and fan-submitted sightings.

Fans can join in on the interactive campaign, follow Spider-Man sightings and engage with the story in real time, while connecting to a shared community experience at SpideyTracker.com and on X @SpideyTracker. The Spidey Tracker is available in 35 countries worldwide.

Spidey Tracker powered by Samsung Galaxy as seen in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day film. © & 2026 MARVEL. ©2026 CPII & TSG

Galaxy Technology in Action

Through integrated storytelling, moviegoers will see the portability of Galaxy Z Flip on full display in the hands of Spider-Man and the multitasking benefits of Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Watch as Ned Leeds tries to locate the elusive Spider-Man.

Reflecting the reality that even our closest relationships can evolve as life takes us in new directions, Samsung is highlighting how its technology helps people stay close to those who matter most.

It celebrates the importance of human connection and self-expression, bringing together Samsung’s ethos with the inspiring characters and timeless stories that make Spider-Man one of the world’s most iconic heroes.

“Spider-Man has always been a hero defined by his connection to his community. Teaming up with Samsung helped bring that spirit to life both on screen and beyond, integrating the technology people use every day into Spider-Man’s world while also bringing innovative and fun new ways for fans to engage through the Spidey Tracker,” said Jeffrey Godsick, Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Unfolding online and in real-world spaces throughout the summer, see Spidey pop up on the map, at live events and venues and with popular creator videos — keep your eyes peeled!

Learn more about the latest Galaxy innovations keeping your favorite heroes connected at Samsung.com and don’t miss Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day exclusively in theaters July 31.

▲ Securing computational design data through 4D scanner

Developing wearables with the optimal fit and comfort remains a difficult yet crucial challenge. Not only do these factors make the device feel more seamless to use, but they are directly tied to maximising overall performance and sensor accuracy. However, the fact that each person’s anatomy is completely unique presents a major hurdle. But what if there was a way to meticulously engineer comfort, fit and sensing so precisely, it could deliver the optimal experience for nearly everyone?

Samsung’s solution is Computational Design. This multidimensional process harnesses AI and advanced computing to analyse hundreds of thousands of quantitative and qualitative data points to generate, test, and refine product designs with greater precision. The result is a fundamental shift from subjective feedback to objective, data-driven engineering, creating superior products with the optimal fit for the widest range of users.

That description captures computational design in the abstract—like a dictionary definition. To understand how computational design is actually used to create superior wearables, Samsung Newsroom visited the Samsung Design Innovation Center (SDIC) in San Francisco, home to the Computational Design Lab.

▲ Federico Casalegno, EVP and Head of the Samsung Design Innovation Center

Spearheading the SDIC is Federico Casalegno, Executive Vice President and Head of the Samsung Design Innovation Center, who has spent the past two decades mastering the practice of computational design and leading the implementation of this core concept into Samsung’s product development. We sat down with Federico to discuss how SDIC employs computational design as a primary tool to create and optimise experiences for Samsung’s wearables, particularly the Galaxy Buds4 series.

Q. Tell us about SDIC’s role.

At SDIC, our mission is to deliver meaningful experiences by understanding people and their evolving lifestyles—always in the context of human-centered design. Ultimately, we want to delight customers and create products that help people live happier, healthier, more creative, and more productive lives, while building a better future for all and preserving the environment.

To achieve this, SDIC brings together the power of design and creativity with data-driven decision-making. Supported by AI, machine learning, robotics, and advanced computing, our talented, multidisciplinary team of designers is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, delivering unparalleled user experiences and real, tangible benefits.

▲ At SDIC, design is combined with AI, data, and computing to achieve maximum comfort for wearable devices.

Q. What exactly is computational design, and what is the philosophy behind it?

While we live in a unique era of technological innovation, Samsung’s approach to design was always deeply human-centered as we believe that technology without humanity is merely perfection without purpose.

Computational design is how we bring this philosophy to life—it is the process of harnessing the immense power of AI, data, and computing to design products for people, rather than expecting people to adapt to our products. This approach helps us to create devices that are fundamentally functional, intuitive, comfortable and beautifully crafted. Today, this methodology is applied all across our wearable portfolio, including Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Buds4 series.

▲ The computational design process involves various state-of-the-art testing equipment, including 4D scanning.

Q. How does computational design turn the ‘fit’ of a device into an objective, measurable metric?

For developing something as personal as a wearable that remains in contact with you for extended periods, fit is an essential element. It’s not just about comfort though; a secure fit is also needed for maximising the precision of the device’s sensors. However, traditional design methods fail to measure wearability objectively, as they only rely on a small sample of people for product testing.

Computational design fundamentally changes this. By leveraging massive, digitalised datasets and advanced AI simulations, it transforms wearability into a quantifiable metric that allows Samsung to measure comfort and fit like never before. By being able to consider all the unique shapes and curves of the human ear or the wrist through computational design, our designers are equipped with trustworthy, objective insights that are difficult to attain through traditional methods.

▲ Optimal design parameters are derived through AI and physics-based simulations, which are then cross-verified with robot testing.

Q. Tell us in detail how the computational design process works in the lab, and how it was implemented in the Buds4 series.

Our computational design process relies on three elements: real people, digital twins, and robots. We capture 3D and 4D scans of a diverse global audience, integrating precise anatomical data to create ‘digital twins.’ We then run AI and physics-based simulations, cross-validating the results with physical robot testing.

For the Buds4 series, we applied this exact process to achieve perfect wearing comfort and premium sound. We analysed hundreds of millions of global ear data points and ran more than 10,000 simulations to perfect the new blade design. This objective data led us to subtly reduce the size of the main head^[1] and refine the angle of rotation—minor adjustments that resulted in a dramatic, universally validated increase in stability and comfort.

Q. How does Samsung’s computational design ultimately benefit the users?

Samsung’s computational design process is powered by a unique proprietary dataset built exclusively from within Samsung, and our team has developed several specialised AI programs based on this data. This combination gives us unique insights while we constantly innovate our design processes and methods. For Galaxy Buds and Watch specifically, this translates into improved wearing comfort, stability and sensor accuracy—key factors that elevate both the user experience and product performance.

▲ Optimal design parameters are derived through AI and physics-based simulations, which are then cross-verified with robot testing.

Q. Looking ahead, how do you see Computational Design evolving over the next decade?

Computational design is now a foundational element of Samsung’s development process across all our wearable products. Our goal remains to maximise wearability, fit, comfort and sensor performance to ultimately serve the people using it.

Looking ahead, the true power of this process is its continuous evolution. As our dataset continues to grow, custom AI tools will drive more accurate simulations and deeper insights. These advancements will not only further improve product wearability, but also unlock exponential innovations down the line that lead to an entirely new category of wearables that can redefine the boundaries of user experience. Ultimately, this symbiotic partnership between computational design and AI frees our designers to be more creative, empowering us to deliver measurably superior products and experiences for the people who use them.

[1] Galaxy Buds4 only.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced a major update to the Samsung Health app, transforming the upcoming Galaxy Watch into a proactive, intelligent health partner. Starting June 8, Samsung will begin rolling out the app update to showcase the key health features included in the upcoming Galaxy Watch. The update makes daily health management effortless by translating complex biometric data — from overnight sleep to daily activity — into simple, actionable guidance.

“Samsung Health is evolving to connect health data measured by Galaxy Watch with AI-based insights, enabling users to understand their physical and mental condition more easily and intuitively,” said Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team for the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung Electronics will continue to expand proactive and personalised health management experiences based on the connected Galaxy ecosystem and digital health innovations.”

This advancement is a key milestone in Samsung’s overarching vision for a truly AI-powered health platform designed to help users stay ahead of their health. The newly announced health features will first be available on the upcoming Galaxy Watch.

Features Transforming Galaxy Watch into an Intelligent Health Partner

The Samsung Health update comes with the following features:

• Vitals: A Better Understanding of the Body’s Signals^[1] — Previously, Samsung Health monitored specific health metrics to help measure users’ daily Energy Score. Now, Samsung Health is taking this a step further. When users wake up, the new Vitals feature analyses five key overnight bio-signals — heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen — against their true resting baseline. It sends notifications only when it detects meaningful deviations, helping users determine if they need more rest or are fighting an illness, without causing alert fatigue.

• Heart Health Score: Improved Long-Term Wellness^[1] — Last year, Samsung introduced Vascular Load to help users monitor vascular stress and adopt a more holistic approach to health. Today, that vision evolves into the Heart Health Score. This single daily metric takes the insights previously found in Vascular Load — such as sleep, stress and activity — and combines them with body composition data. The result is a unified score that clearly identifies the habits impacting users’ long-term well-being, giving them immediate clarity on their heart health.

• Daily Cardio Load: Smarter Cardiovascular Training — When users are deciding how hard to push during aerobic exercise, Daily Cardio Load measures accumulated cardiovascular strain. By calculating daily load and maximum training capacity, it recommends optimal training targets and rest times to ensure users reach their goals without risking burnout or injury.

• Fitness Index: Seamless Progress Tracking — The Fitness Index ensures exercise routines are working by analysing metrics like heart rate, VO2 max (a key measure of aerobic fitness) and daily steps against users’ peers. By clearly identifying individual physical strengths and weaknesses, it delivers tailored content and personalised goals so users can make continuous, targeted improvements.

New Samsung Health Design for a Simplified, Personal Experience

To make these proactive insights easy to find, Samsung Health introduces a streamlined layout organised into five core pillars: Sleep, Activity, Nutrition, Mindfulness and Vitals. Within the Home screen, users can now easily access their daily wellness tips alongside their AI-powered Energy Score. This centralised view removes guesswork from health management, allowing users to quickly understand how different aspects of their routine interconnect at a single glance.

Upgraded Capabilities for Proactive Wellness

Samsung Health is also significantly advancing the core features users already rely on, delivering deeper personalisation with greater precision. As users navigate their day, Antioxidant Index^[2] now provides an even clearer roadmap of their nutritional intake. With new trend charts and daily history logs, it visually connects users’ dietary choices to physical responses over time.

Behind the scenes, the AGEs index has been enhanced to quietly work in the background, capturing automatic overnight measurements to build a long-term picture of how lifestyle choices accumulate in users’ bodies. This helps users uncover health insights that truly matter for their well-being.

Comprehensive wellness extends to external environments, as well, with Samsung offering a brand-new Hearing Health feature that integrates seamlessly across the Galaxy ecosystem. By monitoring surrounding ambient noise through Galaxy Watch, it delivers personalised analytics to help protect the user’s ears — whether they are on a loud commute or dialing up the music during a workout.

Together, these advanced refinements and new ecosystem-connected features turn everyday data into simple, practical guidance, setting the perfect stage for the future of Samsung Health.

A Seamlessly Connected Health Ecosystem

Samsung’s expansive ecosystem unlocks the true power of these new features, seamlessly managing health across users’ Galaxy mobile phones and connected devices. This frictionless integration ensures that personalised insights are always accessible, providing a unified view of user well-being.

These advancements offer a glimpse into the future of Samsung Health — a future that will be fully realised with the launch of Samsung’s next generation of Galaxy Watches, engineered to bring this proactive intelligence to life like never before.

[1] New health features are for wellness only, not for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. If concerned about health, be sure to see a medical professional. Available on Android phones (Android 10 or above) and requires the Samsung Health app (v7.0 or above). Samsung account login required. Certain features may require user activity and data accumulation over time to enable personalised results. Feature availability, supported devices, and rollout timing may vary by market, model, and other factors and are subject to change.

[2] Requires a Galaxy smartphone running Android 11+ and Samsung Health App (V6. 30.2 or above). Samsung Account login required.

As GLP-1 medications become widely adopted for weight management and chronic disease treatment, tracking changes in muscle mass and physical activity alongside weight loss has emerged as a key medical focus. This research will delve into the feasibility of managing muscle loss for GLP-1 patients by utilising biometric data including body composition, activity levels and heart rate provided by Galaxy Watch and Samsung Health.

Samsung and MGH have continuously collaborated on digital health research utilising both Galaxy Watch and Samsung Health, including studies on Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). The MGH Diabetes Research Center, which specialises in research on diabetes and GLP-1 obesity treatment, initiated the joint study with Samsung after recognising the potential for wearables to monitor body composition.

This study will also utilise Galaxy Watch8, powered by Samsung’s groundbreaking BioActive Sensor,^[2] which helps provide advanced predictive and preventative wellness through more accurate health measurements.

Under the leadership of Dr. Melissa Putman, the study will enroll 100 adults beginning treatment with weight-loss medications into two groups. The intervention group will use Galaxy Watch to monitor their body composition via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), track physical activity and receive personalised exercise guides. Their progress will be compared to the other group, which will receive the standard guidance and care typically given to patients starting GLP-1RA therapy.

To evaluate the study’s progress, researchers will use clinical-grade DXA scans^[3] — the gold standard for body composition analysis — to track physiological changes in both groups. These data will help determine whether the insights and tailored guidance provided by Galaxy Watch8 can effectively support participants in building healthier daily habits, which may in turn contribute to better health outcomes particularly in preserving muscle mass.

“Many GLP-1 patients struggle with muscle mass loss, a common side effect that can cause an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a drop in basal metabolic rate, which can lead to future weight regain,” said Dr. Putman, Director of the MGH Diabetes Research Center. “We’re interested in exploring how continuous data from a wearable device can provide invaluable insights into a patient’s activity levels, heart rate and body composition, giving clinicians a more holistic view of treatment impact and allowing for more timely, data-driven adjustments to their care plan.”

“This collaboration with MGH focuses on addressing real-world health challenges that patients face during GLP-1RA therapy, specifically managing muscle loss and building healthy habits,” said Jongmin Choi, Head of Health R&D Group, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business, Samsung Electronics. “Ultimately, this study highlights Samsung’s ongoing commitment to delivering comprehensive and proactive health management solutions through the advanced capabilities of Galaxy Watch.”

Samsung remains committed to researching how Galaxy Watch can support patients in managing their daily physical health. By fostering sustainable wellness habits, the company aims to help patients achieve better clinical outcomes and long-term vitality.

Samsung continues to expand its partnerships with leading medical institutions to advance wearable health monitoring capabilities and broaden the digital health ecosystem. Recently, Samsung demonstrated the potential for early vasovagal syncope (VVS) detection using Galaxy Watch in a joint clinical study with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in Korea, and also collaborated with Stanford Medicine to further advance Galaxy Watch’s Sleep Apnoea feature.

[1] Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone secreted by the intestines after eating that regulates blood sugar levels and suppresses appetite. While GLP-1 weight-loss medications that mimic this hormone are gaining significant popularity globally, they can be accompanied by side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, muscle mass loss, and potential weight regain upon discontinuation.

[2] The BioActive Sensor is a technology that integrates three sensors into a single chipset: an optical heart rate sensor (PPG), an electrical heart rate sensor (ECG), and a bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor (BIA). This sensor has been featured in Galaxy Watch devices since the release of Galaxy Watch4 in 2021, allowing users to measure and monitor various health indicators, such as body composition, heart rate, blood pressure, and ECG tracking.

[3] DXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan: A specialized medical imaging technology that uses low-dose X-rays to precisely measure body composition, including body fat, lean muscle mass, and bone density. Universally recognized as the “gold standard” for body composition analysis, it is widely utilized in clinical research to accurately evaluate physiological changes.

Vasovagal syncope occurs when a person’s heart rate and blood pressure drop abruptly due to factors like excessive stress, leading to a temporary loss of consciousness. While the fainting spell itself is typically not life-threatening, sudden falls can cause severe secondary injuries like fractures or concussions, making early prediction critically important for prevention.

“Up to 40% of people experience vasovagal syncope over their lifetime, with one-third experiencing recurrent episodes,” said Professor Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital. “An early warning could give patients advance time to get into a safe position or call for help, which would dramatically reduce the incidence of secondary injuries.”

The joint research team, led by Professor Cho, conducted evaluations on 132 patients with suspected VVS symptoms during induced fainting tests. Using a Galaxy Watch equipped with a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, the team analysed the watch’s heart rate variability (HRV) data with an AI algorithm. The model successfully predicted impending fainting episodes up to five minutes in advance with 84.6 percent accuracy, at a clinically meaningful sensitivity of 90 percent and a specificity of 64 percent.

“This study is an example of how wearable technology can help shift healthcare from being designed for ‘post-care’ to a model of ‘preventive care,’” said Jongmin Choi, Head of Health R&D Group, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business, Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to driving technological innovation that empowers our users to lead healthier everyday lives.”

The research findings were published in Volume 7, Issue 4 of “European Heart Journal – Digital Health,” a leading medical journal, and they represent the world’s first study to successfully demonstrate the potential for a commercial smartwatch to provide early prediction of syncope.

Samsung plans to further advance the health monitoring capabilities of its wearable portfolio and expand collaboration with leading medical institutions. Through these efforts, the company aims to lead the digital health industry and accelerate the implementation of personalised, preventive health solutions.

To mark World Sleep Day 2026, a global study of Samsung Health users^[2] is shedding new light on the true extent of the condition and the disruptive impact it has on your sleep. Aligned with this year’s World Sleep Day theme, “Sleep Well, Live Better,” Samsung is turning the invisible signs of sleep apnoea into actionable insights through its Galaxy Watch series, helping those affected improve their sleep habits and overall health.

Infographic including all key data on impact of sleep apnoea

How Does Sleep Apnoea Impact Your Sleep?

The report found that 23% of study participants are at risk of sleep apnoea.

“The microarousals and awakenings that follow breathing pauses fragment your sleep,” explains behavioural sleep scientist Dr. Vanessa Hill. “Those occurrences can prevent the brain from staying in the REM and deep sleep stages necessary for cognitive and physical restoration.”

The report shows these constant disruptions take a direct toll on sleep duration and quality, leading to:

• Reduced REM Sleep: Participants with moderate to severe sleep apnoea indicators detected by their Galaxy Watch got around four minutes less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the phase where our brains process emotions, consolidate memories and cement learning. Without enough of it, people can experience mood instability and memory problems, impacting performance at work and overall well-being.
• Less Deep Sleep: Sleep apnoea also robs sufferers of deep sleep, approximately eight minutes less per night, on average. This is the body’s critical physical restoration phase, where growth hormone is released, muscles are repaired, and your immune system is activated. Losing out on deep sleep is why you may feel physically exhausted, have slower recovery times, and get sick more often.
• Frequent Nightly Awakenings: Study participants with signs of sleep apnoea also woke up regularly during the night and stayed awake around four minutes longer. These interruptions derail the sleep cycle, locking you into lighter, less restorative stages and making next-day exhaustion inevitable, no matter how long you slept.
• Shorter Sleep Duration: Overall, people with a higher likelihood of sleep apnoea averaged around 12 minutes less sleep. While this loss may seem minor, it can have a significant impact on overall sleep quality as your sleep cycle gets fragmented throughout the night.

Why It Matters:

“Even a small loss in sleep duration is compounded by a larger loss of sleep quality,” said Dr. Hill. “This can be the difference between simply being ‘in bed’ and getting restorative rest, which could be why people feel so tired the next day.”

Dr. Hill also advocates a multidimensional approach to sleep health. “Sleep apnoea affects many dimensions of sleep — duration, quality, sleep efficiency and even daytime fatigue,” she stated. “They together help determine our health and functioning.”

With sleep apnoea shown to impact all aspects of sleep and lead to other health complications, detection is an essential first step in the fight against the condition.

How Does Galaxy Watch Help Detect Signs of Moderate to Severe Sleep Apnoea?

For years, sleep apnoea has been difficult to detect due to the need for inconvenient hospital tests. However, Samsung offers at-home detection with a first-of-its-kind^[3] feature on your Galaxy Watch.

• How It Works: Users simply track their sleep with a compatible Galaxy Watch^[4] for more than four hours over two nights within a ten-day period. Available through the Samsung Health Monitor app^[5], the Sleep Apnoea feature enables users to proactively spot signs of the condition. Initially launched in Korea, the feature has since received De Novo authorisation from the U.S. FDA and is now available in 78 markets worldwide, including the UK, and counting.
• The Technology: Leveraging the Galaxy Watch’s BioActive Sensor, the feature tracks blood oxygen levels to determine when the user stops breathing (apnoea) or is not breathing enough (hypopnea). Based on this data, the feature estimates the user’s Apnoea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), which indicates the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
• From Awareness to Action: By detecting signs of sleep apnoea early, the feature provides the data needed for an informed consultation with a medical professional. In addition to tackling sleep apnoea, your Galaxy Watch can help you build habits for better holistic sleep health. Features include the Sleep Coaching program for detailed analysis and tips on how to improve sleep quality and Bedtime Guidance,^[6] which recommends your optimal bedtime to ensure you consistently get enough sleep.

“For years, the inconvenience of an in-lab clinical sleep study has been a barrier to diagnosing sleep apnoea,” added Dr. Hill. “Wearable technology such as Galaxy Watch is a breakthrough because it democratises that first step. It allows people to gather meaningful data from their own beds, providing a starting point for a conversation with a healthcare professional.”

Take Control of Your Night

A good night’s sleep is the first step toward a healthier, more energised life, and Samsung is here to guide you. Samsung’s ecosystem offers end-to-end care, from detecting signs of sleep apnoea on your Galaxy Watch to providing suggestions to receive professional adviceto connecting you with professional advice through our health network.

Looking ahead, Samsung is constantly innovating and improving the Sleep Apnoea feature to make it even more powerful with sharper insights. Prioritise your rest today to unlock a healthier tomorrow.

[1] Obstructive Sleep Apnoea National Indicator Report,” American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2023)

[2] Samsung Health users from the U.S., South Korea, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Chile, South Africa, and the Philippines participated in the study from January–June 2025.

[3] Requires a Galaxy smartphone running Android 12 or above. Do not use feature if you are pregnant or have previously been diagnosed with sleep apnoea. 22 years+ only. Intended to detect signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea over a two-night period. Feature will not detect central sleep apnoea. Does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

[4] Available on Galaxy Watch4 series and later models. The watch requires the Wear OS 5.0 version or later and must be paired with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone with Android 12.0 or later.

[5] Samsung Health features are intended for general wellness and fitness purposes only. Not intended for use in detection, diagnosis, treatment of any medical condition or sleep disorder. The measurements are for your personal reference only. Please consult a medical professional for advice. Samsung account login required. Vascular Load, Running Coach and Antioxidant Index are available on Android phones (Android 10 or above) and requires the Samsung Health app (v6.30.2 or later). Vascular Load and Antioxidant index are Labs features that you can preview before its official launch. If you don’t want to use these experimental features, you can turn them off in Samsung Health settings.

[6] Bedtime guidance is available on Android phone (Android 11 and above) requires Samsung Health app (v6.30.2 or later). It is based on 3 days of sleep analysis of user’s circadian rhythm and sleep pressure.