Apple Watch Can Accurately Predict Stress Levels, Study Shows

[name99]

What EXACTLY does it mean to "track stress" and why is this useful?

I could imagine one thing is that it can tell you are getting angry and sends some sort of signal to remind you to calm down? Which may or may not work (you may not notice it because you're already too worked up, or you may just respond with "don't tell me WTF to do, Apple")...

I could imagine one other thing it could mean is that whatever it is measuring is supposedly a proxy for physical stress in the body (enhanced cortisol levels or whatever) and knowing this long-term can help in diagnosis, or knowing drugs to avoid. But as far as I can tell, we know little GENUINE medicine around these issues right now, we're basically at the voodoo/hold your hand and repeat the conventional wisdom stage (sure, we've moved beyond "stress causes ulcers" but we've moved one micron beyond that, not one kilometer).

So I'd want to know a lot more before concluding that there's anything here of the slightest MEDICAL benefit (as opposed to simply being interesting to people who are interested in their bodies).

 

[Y014951]

My specific HRV routine. You can see my results because I researched this extensively but its definitely not medical advice.

-3-5g fish oil with at least 200IU vitamin E. Taken with food each day.

-Walking/Running for 1 hour every day (I only started this in September you can see how it really helped HRV, but it’s not the whole picture). I just try to spend 11-20 minutes per day in the max heart rate zone.

-Reduce intake of caffeine and other stimulant drugs that increase the heart rate.

-Increase intake of antioxidant foods.

-Be diligent about mindfulness. You don’t need an app necessarily but I used Headspace. Making sure you aren’t constantly bogged down by negative thoughts is very important for this reflex and for life itself.

Thank you very much! No worries, I was not looking for medical advice, rather for some input on things I might want to try. I turned 40 this year, work a lot on the computer and spend way too litle time outside. I have a medical check up every year and I am healthy, albeit a little bit too heavy for my size. However, as I want to remain healthy, I am aware that I should get rid of some bad habits and get used to some good habits. Therefore I find it very interesting to find out a bit about what helps other people. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

 

[macsplusmacs]

It was draining a bit fast at first. I think there was a lot of new background stuff going on. I switched some settings and now it seems to drain much slower. It only dropped 10% overnight with sleep tracking.

Double the 8's battery life would be amazing though. Really I just like the way the Ultra looks. I prefer the squared off screen instead of the curved one on the 8. Plus I think Id actually use it when Im surfing which I wont do with the 8.

For me, the Ultra is the product of the year and the best apple watch in terms of excitement and use since the series 0.

 

[name99]

I'm fairly certain the "Breathe" app has always been able to detect stress. At least for me it sure seems that way sometimes...

I really wish they'd rebrand the Breathe app, or at least provide an alternative UI for it.

Right now everything about it seems to be to appeal to woo and mysticism and it just irritates me so much I've no interest in using it. I'd like to see a much more clinical version (call it HRV or whatever) that focuses purely on "do X with your breathe and I will measure Y" without any additional claims about stress or meditation, or psychedelic pictures.

It's like imagine if sleep tracking were called laziness tracking...
Same technology, rather different response in the users...

 

[glindon]

Do you have an Apple Watch? What is your HRV if you don’t mind sharing?

Yeah I have an Apple Watch. I am normally in the 80’s to 90’s for HRV (during sleep). Using the breath app can give exaggerated readings, however, and I can get upwards of 200 for HRV for those. Resting heart rate is low 50’s to high 40’s. During sleep my heart rate has gone as low as 39 BPM but averages mid 40’s.

 

[autumnpatchouli]

I was diagnosed with AFib 1.5 years ago. When I talked to my cardiologist about the readings on my Apple Watch, she didn't say to disregard the watch findings, just to not rely on them too much. Much like my family doctor says not to rely on medical information from Google or message boards. If your watch is indicating an abnormal reading, your first questions should be to your doctor. Supplements are generally not regulated, & while they might be beneficial in certain instances, things could also go the wrong way.

 

[Artemis70]

...
Highly recommend everyone track and try to increase their heart rate variability. It is directly related to the ability of the brain and heart to handle stress and is a biomarker for autonomic nervous system function. I started working on mine in May and I really feel 3x better and more resilient day to day. The Apple Watch has been tracking this in the background for as long as you have been wearing it. You can take in the moment HRV measures (which is very similar to what this study did) by using the breath app and then checking the health app.
...

I'm curious what one has to do to increase the heart rate variability. Can you provide pointers to what you have been doing to improve your heart rate variability?

Btw, my heart rate variability varies wildly throughout the day, anywhere between 85 and 26. My daily average is just over 50. According to internet this is poor. At the same time, my cardio fitness is at 48, which is very healthy. My heart rate recovery is 34, which is also quite healthy.

 

[contacos]

I don’t need my Apple Watch to tell me my stress level, my body does it well on its own unfortunately 😅

Level 1: biting nails
Level 2: tinnitus beeping more than usual
Level 3: suddenly feeling sick (hot face but only from the inside)
Level 4: headache
Level 5: all the above and body basically shutting off, just laying on the couch

 

[BGPL]

This is easier than checking the amount of hair I've lost into the sink each morning.

 

[fatTribble]

Pfft! My mood ring in the 70s could do that! 🙄
I know it worked too because it turned red when I lost my pet rock.

🤭

 

[mikedmac]

I started working on mine in May and I really feel 3x better and more resilient day to day.

@appleguy123 OK I'll bite on this - what have you done for that dramatic of an improvement? Thanks for sharing. I would love to see results like that.

 

[mikedmac]

@appleguy123 OK I'll bite on this - what have you done for that dramatic of an improvement? Thanks for sharing. I would love to see results like that.

oops, just saw reply, my apologies

 

[farmboy]

Are you taking high quality fish oil or eating fatty fish regularly? Fish oil has direct physical effects on the heart’s pacemaker and is one of the most important things for this reflex. Message me because I’m not sure how much medical advice I’m allowed to give in these forums.

From a paper in the American College of Cardiology (Nov 01, 2021 | Ayman Haq, MD; Susan White, RDN; Michael D. Miedema, MD):

"In conclusion, dietary fish intake is associated with a reduction in fatal CVD events in a threshold manner, with a benefit seen with approximately 2 servings per week of fish. The use of non-prescription fish oil is generally not recommended due to concerns about the content and purity as well as multiple randomized studies showing no benefit in CVD risk reduction with low or high dose fish oil supplementation. The use of purified EPA has been shown to reduce CVD events in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Recommendations for fish intake and fish oil supplementation are shown in Table 1. While prescription fish oils, especially purified EPA, may be indicated in certain individuals, for most of our patients instead of taking over the counter fish oil, it's probably better to just eat the real thing."

(bolding mine)

 

[tdar]

As a person who suffers from chronic acute anxiety, I am very happy to see this one more thing that my Apple Watch can do to help me with my health. One developer has an app that allows you to use this data for stress tracking. ( Stress monitor for watch https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stress-monitor-for-watch/id1510429086) . I am looking to add this app to my watch and use it to monitor my stress levels. Anything that can help!!

 

[TwoBytes]

Every September on a Tuesday, my stress levels go through the roof during the pricing slide in the keynote for the new iPhone
Knowing whether to sell a kidney or not can really make the ticker jump.

 

[Octavius8]

I definitely need a machine to tell me to relax and when I am stressed. How advanced and useful. Just a tad more expensive than my therapist per year and less useful.
I guess as it is the Apple Watch has little room for improvement (similar to iPhone 14 vs 13). Except in AI and Siri.
(In iPhone the room for improvements is bigger IMHO).

 

[Saturn007]

Confused about part of this discussion, i.e., the pitches for *high* HRV!

Why wouldn't one want *low* heart rate variability?

That strikes me as a sign that person is handling stress, staying calm, and letting life's struggles roll over them!

People under stress often have high and fluctuating heart rates.

In general, though, a stress monitor or alert system could be helpful to many. On the other hand, I can easily see it stressing out many people and compounding the problem!

 

[M1ckab]

Heart rate and heart variability are not the same thing - at very high level one is the number of heartbeats the other the time between heartbeats..

https://medium.com/@altini_marco/re...-hrv-whats-the-difference-part-1-1c6b3b769324

 

[appleguy123]

From a paper in the American College of Cardiology (Nov 01, 2021 | Ayman Haq, MD; Susan White, RDN; Michael D. Miedema, MD):

"In conclusion, dietary fish intake is associated with a reduction in fatal CVD events in a threshold manner, with a benefit seen with approximately 2 servings per week of fish. The use of non-prescription fish oil is generally not recommended due to concerns about the content and purity as well as multiple randomized studies showing no benefit in CVD risk reduction with low or high dose fish oil supplementation. The use of purified EPA has been shown to reduce CVD events in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Recommendations for fish intake and fish oil supplementation are shown in Table 1. While prescription fish oils, especially purified EPA, may be indicated in certain individuals, for most of our patients instead of taking over the counter fish oil, it's probably better to just eat the real thing."

(bolding mine)

That’s why I specifically mentioned “high quality”. Oxidized fish oil is a poison. IFOS does great third party testing of multiple brands for this and other impurities. When I say high quality, I mean the re-Esterified triglycerol form. It’s actually better and cleaner than the “purified” ethyl esters that the prescriptions Lovaza and Vascepa are.

You don’t have to take fish oil, but it’s been obviously great for me.

 

[appleguy123]

Confused about part of this discussion, i.e., the pitches for *high* HRV!

Why wouldn't one want *low* heart rate variability?

That strikes me as a sign that person is handling stress, staying calm, and letting life's struggles roll over them!

People under stress often have high and fluctuating heart rates.

In general, though, a stress monitor or alert system could be helpful to many. On the other hand, I can easily see it stressing out many people and compounding the problem!

Low heart rate variability is bad. When you breathe in, the diaphragm moves down and there’s more room in the chest cavity, allowing the heart to beat more quickly. When you breathe out the opposite happened. This reflex is called heart rate variability. It’s controlled by the vagus nerve and ANS. Reduced HRV is a reduction in function of that system. High HRV is also associated with a slower heart beat, which is beneficial for different reasons.

 

[jonnysods]

Apple probably haven’t offered it yet because the battery life is abysmal thus far unless you’re an Ultra owner (which I hope to be when the next model comes out)

 

[lovehateapple]

I just found out apple is being sued because the blood oxygen sensor in the applewatch might not be as accurate for darker skinned people as it is for lighter skinned individuals.

 

[glindon]

Confused about part of this discussion, i.e., the pitches for *high* HRV!

Why wouldn't one want *low* heart rate variability?

That strikes me as a sign that person is handling stress, staying calm, and letting life's struggles roll over them!

People under stress often have high and fluctuating heart rates.

In general, though, a stress monitor or alert system could be helpful to many. On the other hand, I can easily see it stressing out many people and compounding the problem!

High HRV means your heart is able to switch quickly to a high bpm back to resting bpm quickly. It means your cardiovascular system (and nervous system as well) is working efficiently and your heart is not stressed.

 

[usmaak]

I just found out apple is being sued because the blood oxygen sensor in the applewatch isn't as accurate for darker skinned people.

I think that is pretty common. I’ve seen these types of stories since wrist based heart rate monitors became a thing. They don’t do as well with darker colored skin.

 

[IIGS User]

Stress?

Mine is gonna light up like a Christmas tree!