Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has partnered with sleep technology company Eight Sleep to investigate how artificial intelligence-powered sleep technology could support the management of sleep apnoea and contribute to more personalised, preventive healthcare.
Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the organisations will launch a clinical study in Abu Dhabi that will connect real-world data generated by Eight Sleep’s technology with Abu Dhabi’s population health data infrastructure.
The initial 12-week study will focus on sleep apnoea, a widespread and frequently underdiagnosed sleep disorder associated with a range of serious health risks. Researchers will examine whether smart bed technology, including real-time adjustments to an individual’s sleeping position, could provide additional insights and support improved management of the condition.
Linking Continuous Sleep Data With Health Intelligence
During the study, Eight Sleep’s technology will continuously capture sleep and physiological signals, including heart rate, breathing rate, movement, apnoea events and body-position data.
Once the system is integrated into Abu Dhabi’s intelligent health ecosystem, researchers will be able to analyse these signals alongside relevant real-time health information, including clinical, genomic and lifestyle data. The objective is to identify patterns that could contribute to future treatment pathways and clinical research.
The study will be conducted by Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), an academic medical centre in Abu Dhabi and part of PureHealth, with appropriate governance, oversight and data-protection protocols incorporated into the research.
H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said the collaboration reflects Abu Dhabi’s focus on using data, research and innovation to identify health risks earlier and improve patient outcomes.
“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,” she said.
According to Al Ghaithi, combining real-world evidence from consumer sleep technology with Abu Dhabi’s health intelligence infrastructure could help inform personalised care pathways for people living with sleep apnoea and related disorders.
Building Evidence for Consumer Health Technology
The partnership is also intended to examine how continuous sleep monitoring could complement conventional clinical assessments.
Eight Sleep Co-founder and CEO Matteo Franceschetti said sleep has historically been undermeasured in healthcare and that the collaboration could help establish the clinical evidence required to incorporate sleep data more meaningfully into preventive care.
“Sleep is one of the most powerful signals of human health, yet it has historically been undermeasured and underutilised in medicine,” Franceschetti said.
He added that combining continuous sleep data with Abu Dhabi’s health intelligence infrastructure could support more personalised interventions, earlier action and improved long-term health outcomes.
Dr. Marwan Al Kaabi, Chief Executive Officer of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, highlighted the importance of evaluating emerging technologies through rigorous clinical research.
“Clinical research plays a critical role in transforming promising innovations into evidence that can improve patient care,” he said, adding that the collaboration will assess emerging technology within real-world clinical environments and explore its potential contribution to personalised, preventive and data-driven healthcare.
Beyond Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea affects an estimated hundreds of millions of people worldwide and has been associated with conditions including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. Because symptoms can vary between individuals and from one night to another, continuous monitoring may provide additional information that is not captured through conventional clinical assessments.
Although sleep apnoea is the initial focus of the study, DoH and Eight Sleep intend to explore potential applications of sleep, temperature regulation and recovery data in other areas of healthcare, including menopause and cancer care.
The collaboration forms part of Abu Dhabi’s broader efforts to advance clinical research, health intelligence and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies. By testing innovative approaches in real-world healthcare settings, the emirate aims to generate evidence that could support future preventive-health strategies and improve long-term patient outcomes.
The Health Colossus | Economy of Wellness, Insights for All
