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By Sree Roy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Blood pressure cuffs have long been the standard in clinical care\u2014but for sleep patients, especially those with sleep apnea, they may be missing crucial clues. While daytime spot checks offer a limited snapshot, it\u2019s what happens overnight<\/em>\u2014in the dynamic, unseen hours of sleep\u2014that could provide life-saving insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A new generation of technology, including the FDA-cleared CirculVS<\/strong> device from Bodimetrics and GTCardio Inc, is challenging the old norm by offering continuous, beat-by-beat blood pressure readings during sleep. And what it’s beginning to uncover could reshape how we detect and manage cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sleep, particularly during the REM-rich early morning hours, can amplify cardiovascular risk. Sudden shifts in autonomic nervous system activity during REM sleep can lead to blood pressure surges, arrhythmias, and even dislodged arterial plaque\u2014raising the risk for heart attacks and strokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA lot of bad things happen during sleep,\u201d says Dr. Meir H. Kryger, professor emeritus at Yale and scientific advisor to Bodimetrics. \u201cAnd when sleep apnea is present, it creates a perfect storm of cardiovascular stress.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Unlike traditional cuffs, CirculVS<\/strong> doesn\u2019t miss these events. It tracks fluctuations throughout the night, offering unprecedented visibility into how blood pressure behaves when we\u2019re most vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditional cuffs measure what Dr. Ehud Baron of GTCardio calls \u201cstatic\u201d blood pressure\u2014an artificially induced reading taken when the cuff cuts off and then slowly releases blood flow. But real-life cardiac events involve dynamic pressure changes<\/strong>, sudden surges and dips that static readings can\u2019t capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn a heart attack, blood doesn\u2019t stop\u2014it rushes like a tsunami,\u201d says Dr. Baron. \u201cWe\u2019re missing the most dangerous signals by using cuffs alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n CirculVS combines a wrist-worn ambulatory monitor with a ring-based pulse oximeter to measure both static and dynamic pressures<\/strong>\u2014continuously, and noninvasively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The developers\u2019 mission is simple: catch cardiovascular disease early<\/strong>. Dr. Baron notes that heart disease often starts quietly in your 40s, long before it surfaces in your 70s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early, nightly tracking could also be pivotal for pregnancy-related conditions like preeclampsia, where dangerous blood pressure rises can go undetected until they become an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great to monitor a pregnant woman\u2019s blood pressure overnight\u2014long before symptoms appear?\u201d Kryger asks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n CirculVS may be most immediately useful in sleep and cardiology settings, but its developers see far broader potential. Could dementia patients, for instance, experience overnight blood pressure spikes that contribute to cognitive decline? If so, nighttime monitoring might offer a new intervention path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re opening a new area, and that\u2019s nocturnal medicine<\/strong>,\u201d says Neil Friedman, COO of Bodimetrics. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge amount to learn across all specialties.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n With partnerships like the one with EnsoData, CirculVS is poised to fit into both clinical workflows and remote patient monitoring programs\u2014enabling physicians to be reimbursed for home testing and<\/em> long-term care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just a few years ago, overnight, noninvasive blood pressure monitoring didn\u2019t exist. Now, it\u2019s redefining how sleep medicine can contribute to broader cardiovascular care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I had had something like this 30 to 40 years ago, I would have loved it,\u201d Kryger says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n As CirculVS and similar technologies roll out, they offer a new mandate for sleep specialists: to play a leading role in detecting heart disease before it strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n :<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat Happens at Night Could Hurt You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nStatic vs. Dynamic: The Flaw in the Cuff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nCatching Trouble Before It Strikes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nA New Frontier: \u2018Nocturnal Medicine\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nLooking Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nPricing for Related Devices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. Circul+ Ring (by BodiMetrics)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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2. Circul Ring Health Monitor (by CirculSense)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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3. Used Circul+ (via Secondary Market)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n