Using Wellness
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When it comes to the wellness of your heart, nothing displays it better than the initial view when you first open HeartWatch or reading the Morning Briefing. The simple act of wearing your Apple Watch each day can uncover amazing health benefits.
Wellness Tiles
HeartWatch lets you monitor the wellness of your heart and overall health across multiple views, what we refer to as tiles. These tiles are visible on the Today tab and within Stories in the Morning Briefing. Wellness tiles include Daily Heart Rate, Sedentary Heart Rate, Sleeping Heart Rate, Sleep Time, Restfulness, Waking Pulse, HRV (Heart Rate Variability), Blood Pressure, Blood Oxygen (SpO2), Respiration Rate, Glucose, Body Temperature and ECG. Each of these views provide different insights into your wellness, but are also all very connected to your overall health.
Tip - you can turn Wellness tiles on or off via the Settings HeartWatch Tiles option, or use the quick links below the tiles to add/remove
Turning Tiles On & Off
Are you missing some information or would like to turn off some metrics that you do not use? If so, just tap on the 'Add/Remove Wellness Tiles' that it shown on each section in the Today page. This lets you customise your page by selecting to see whats most important to you. See below:
Another way to turn tiles on or off is by going to Settings and tapping on the 'HeartWatch Tiles' option. Any tiles with a tick will show, those without will be hidden, it's that easy.
Daily Tile
Your Daily heartbeat is measured when you are not exercising or sleeping
The Daily tile show the day's current average heart rate in the main badge. The more blue you see, the more your heart has been in a resting state. The more red, the more elevated it has been
The minimum and maximum heart rate measurements for the day can be viewed under it, along with the time of the recording
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your trends. This is all unique to your heart rate averages and trends over time. If the gauge is in green (lower heart rate) you are well ahead of your trends, if in red (high heart rate) you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge, so the gauge may move depending on your heart rate averages over that time period. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Daily badge view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Tapping the tile will go to the Daily View to see your daily heart rate readings (see Daily View below)
Daily View
The top trend line in the image banner displays the last 21 days for your avg heart rate, with the current daily avg in the gauge. The far right dot next to the gauge is the most current reading
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional information
The heart rate gauge can also be used to compare your current heart rate against your 21 day average (green is lower; grey is average; red is higher)
Your daily heart rate zones will be split into a % for time spent in each of the elevated, high resting, resting, low and very low. This will also be reflected in the circle badge next to the % breakup
Scroll down the daily view to see the time spent in each heart rate zone for the day
Daily Heartbeat View
Scroll down the daily view to see the time spent in each heart rate zone for the day
You can scroll down more to see all your readings in finer detail too, or tap anywhere on the graph to go to that measurement. The readings will start from your first waking pulse if you wear the Watch to bed, or when you put it on in the morning
Any workouts will be seen by a yellow shaded block in the graph and skipped in the Daily view to not impact the daily readings and average. Refer to the Workouts for detailed information on the workout session
Any sleep sessions will be seen as grey dots in the graph, heart rate measures during your sleep will not impact the daily readings and average. Refer to Sleep for detailed information on the recording your sleep
Daily Heartbeat Graph Icons
You will notice a little icon to the right of the screen against each measurement:
The icons act as a quick reference to the following:
Green Person = the measurement was taken when you were sedentary (did not move for 5 minutes before the measurement)
Purple 'Sleeping' Person = shows you were asleep when the measurement is taken
Red Person = You were active, eg. walking, etc.
Blue = Neither of the above
Broken Heart icon = the broken heart icon is when your Watch is streaming data. This either comes from the Watch detecting that you are moving at a faster rate, or, if you use the Apple Heart Rate app on your Watch. This means that your Watch is streaming the heart rate. Capturing a reading every 5 to 10 seconds. HeartWatch caters for this so that your average is not adversely affected by the streaming results and gives a more accurate average for the day.
Heartbeat line ECG icon = The ECG icon refers to when you have taken an ECG. The averages have also been refined to take these types of high frequency readings into consideration to provide a more accurate picture of your day.
Sedentary Tile
Sedentary heartbeat is a subset of the Daily heartbeat readings where you have been still for at least 5 minutes prior to the heartbeat sample. Generally, a lower reading implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness
Sedentary heart rate is not resting heart rate. Resting heart rate is shown as Waking heart rate (see below) which is the gold standard way to measure resting heart rate.
The Sedentary bpm can be viewed in the Today tab and the Morning Briefing. The Sedentary tile show the day's average in the main badge, with the minimum and maximum measurements for the day under it
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your trends/averages. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Sedentary (current) view
Your sedentary trends can be viewed over 6 weeks to 12 months. Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view from the Today view. If on the Story panel, click on any of the explore buttons to open Dashboards.
Tapping the tile will go to the Sedentary View to see your daily heart rate readings (see Sedentary View below).
Sedentary View
The top trend line displays the last 21 days for your avg sedentary heart rate, with the current avg in a gauge
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional information on sedentary heartbeats over 6 weeks to 12 months
The gauge can also be used to compare your current sedentary heart rate against your 21 day average (green is lower; grey is average; red is higher)
View the duration of your sedentary heart rate zones, split into a % for time spent in each of the zones
You can scroll down the screen to see all your readings in finer detail
Sleep Tile
Sleep heartbeat is measured from the time you went to sleep and awoke. Throughout your sleep the heartbeat can vary according to your body’s physical needs. The badge shows you your average sleeping heart rate
Your minimum and maximum measurements for the sleep are great markers for your health, located under the badge. Your average is shown in the centre badge with colours reflecting the time in each heart rate zone (see below for badge colours)
Pay attention to the different factors that can influence your sleep bpm, such as food and alcohol. Throughout your sleep the heartbeat can vary according to your body’s physical needs. A goods night’s sleep decreases the work of your heart, however this is individual and dependant on health and external factors.
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages, this makes tracking your current measure against your normal averages easy. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Sleep (current) view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Tapping the tile will go to the Sleep View to see your sleep heart rate readings (see Sleep View below)
Sleep View
The top trend line displays the last 21 days for your avg sleeping heart rate, with the current avg in a gauge
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional trends information on sleeping heart rates
The gauge can also be used to compare your current sleeping heart rate against your 21 day average (green is lower; grey is average; red is higher)
View the duration of the different heart rate zones that you spent sleeping
You can scroll down to see all your sleep measurements in detail
Capturing Sleep
To capture sleep, refer to the Watch Sleep page. You can use HeartWatch to capture sleep, or use our popular AutoSleep app. For those currently using AutoSleep, your information will automatically pull through.
Note we have noticed some issues for users using the native Apple Sleep app. We built a dedicated page to help with the common issues and setup questions. Click here to view.
Badge & Chart Colours
Daily, Sedentary & Sleep tiles all show a Badge image which fill with colours depending on your heart rate. By default, HeartWatch uses the following colours and zones to present your heart rate data, both in heart badges and charts. Keep in mind that this is not medical advice. If unsure of anything, always consult a medical professional
Red: Greater than or equal to 100bpm. A sustained resting heart rate above 100bpm may indicate tachycardia. If your regular heart rate badge is mainly red, you should consider seeing a health professional
Purple: Greater than or equal to 80 & less than 100bpm. Though this does fall within the parameters of a regular resting heart rate, it is on the high side. Depending on your level of activity or consumption of stimulants, this may indicate that you aren't particularly fit/healthy if you are consistently seeing that your badge is nearly all purple
Blue: Greater than or equal to 50 and less than 80bpm. This is recognised as a healthy resting heart rate for the Daily hr. Ideally your badge should be at least half blue. The more blue, the healthier your heart is likely to be. You should however, consider the type of day you have had though. If you have been very active, then purple may be a reflection of what you have been doing
Pinkish Brown: Lower than 50 and greater than or equal to 40bpm. If you can see a significant pinkish brown centre in your badge, and you are experiencing fatigue, weakness, dizzyness or feel faint, then this may indicate bradycardia. If you don't have any symptoms, and particularly if you are a well trained athlete this likely isn't a problem. Again, consult your doctor especially if you are experiencing symptoms
Brown: Lower than 40bpm. Unless you are a very highly trained athlete, a brown centre in your badge or even seeing a percentage of readings in brown is likely not a good thing. If you are experiencing any fatigue, weakness, dizzyness or feeling faint then even more so, its probably a good idea to see your medical professional
Sleep Time Tile
Sleep Time (previously called Recharge) is measured from the time you slept compared to your goal which is setup in Settings. Sleep Time is your body's time to recover from your activities and get ready for the next, calculating how much of your sleep requirement has been met
The left battery shows your current % sleep time, with the duration of the sleep under it
The right battery shows your current 7 day average % and duration
It is important to make sure your Sleep Time Requirements is setup accurately in the Settings to make sure the battery % shows accurate results.
Studies advise that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night, over 65’s should aim for between 7 and 8 hours per night.
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Sleep Time (current) view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Tapping the tile will go to the Sleep Time View to see your sleep heart rate readings (see Recharge View below)
Sleep Time View
The top trend line displays the last 21 days for your avg time asleep, with the current avg in a gauge
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional trends information on sleep time.
The gauge can also be used to compare your current time asleep against your 21 day average (green is higher; grey is average; red is lower)
View the duration of the different heart rate zones that you spent sleeping
You can scroll down to see all your sleep measurements in detail
Capturing Sleep Duration
To capture sleep, refer to the Watch Sleep page. You can use HeartWatch to capture sleep, or use our popular AutoSleep app, where even the Apple Watch is optional if you wish to just use your iPhone for duration with movement sensors. For those currently using AutoSleep, your information will automatically pull through.
Note we have noticed some issues for users using the native Apple Sleep app. We built a dedicated page to help with the common issues and setup questions. Click here to view.
Restfulness Tile
Your Sleep Restfulness indicates how much of your sleep was restful, with little or no tossing and turning. Restfulness excludes waking period
The higher the number the better, but don't worry too much about the percentage. The value here is in identifying any trends and addressing what may be making you more restless during sleep
The left battery shows your current % restfulness
The right battery shows your time in restful sleep vs your sleep goal
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Restfulness (current) view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Tapping the tile will go to the Restfulness View to see your sleep heart rate readings (see Restfulness View below)
Restfulness View
The top trend line displays the last 21 days for your avg time asleep, with the current avg in a gauge
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional trends information on sleep time.
You can scroll down to see all your sleep measurements in detail
The purple lines show how restless you were. The more purple and lower, the more restless
Periods with no purple shading and a lower heart rate indicate deeper sleep
Grey bars indicate wake times and are excluded in the results
SpO2 Blood Oxygen Tiles
There are 2 tiles for Sleep SpO2 and Daily SpO2. Sleep is your night time average and daily is the average for when you are awake.
Be sure to enable all the correct settings in your iPhone to allow background measurements. We have described it all below in SpO2 Setup.
SpO2 represents the percentage of the haemoglobin in your red blood cells that are carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body
The badge shows your average blood oxygen across all measurements, and the coloured rings reflect the group range. Blue >= 95%, purple >= 90%, red below 90%. It’s a great way to quickly summarise your SpO2
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the SpO2 (current) view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Tapping the tile will go to the SpO2 View to see your blood oxygen measurements in detail (see SpO2 View below)
SpO2 View
The top trend line displays the last 21 days for your avg blood oxygen measurements, with the current avg in a gauge
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional trends information on SpO2.
The gauge can also be used to compare your current blood oxygen against your 21 day average (green is higher; grey is average; red is lower)
For Daily, 95% or higher is common. For sleeping, studies show 95% to 97% but this drops lower between 93% to 95% with age for those over 60
You can scroll down to see all your measurements in detail
In the detail graph, you will see that in the sleep SpO2 tile daytime readings are greyed and excluded from averages. In the Daily SpO2 tile you will see sleep readings are greyed and excluded from averages.
SpO2 Setup
Only for users with an Apple Watch Series 6 or above that allows blood oxygen measurements (older devices do not capture blood oxygen), an SpO2 tile will appear if you have background measurements enabled and permissions turned on. If you have an older Watch you may like to turn this tile off.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or above, follow these steps to setup:
Oxygen Saturation in the health permissions needs to be on to see SpO2 in HeartWatch. To check:
Go into iPhone Settings, then Privacy, then into Health
Find HeartWatch in the list and make sure that Oxygen Saturation is turned on
Next, it's important to ensure the following steps are setup correctly to allow your Apple Watch to measure your blood oxygen while you sleep.
Open the Apple Watch settings app (you can find it on your iPhone by looking for a black icon with an image of a Watch)
Blood oxygen measurements only occur during sleep if the Track Sleep with Apple Watch setting is turned on. While in the Watch app, scroll down and tap into Sleep, you will see a switch to enable called 'Track Sleep with Apple Watch'
Next, while still in the Watch app, scroll down and tap on 'Blood Oxygen'
Now the important part, make sure all the toggles are switched on, especially the 'Allow Background Measurements'. It should look similar to the below, depending on your region the names may alter a little.
Blood oxygen measurements only occur during sleep if the Sleep Focus mode is turned on during sleep time.
Note: Apple restricts measuring blood oxygen if the age in Health is under 18 years. This can sometimes catch out users who may have swapped iPhones with their children and have not updated their date of birth.
Tip: if you measure your blood oxygen with another device, you can use the HeartWatch speak option to input your blood oxygen. Just open Speak on the Watch and say for example, "ninety eight percent blood oxygen" and it should confirm a SpO2 measure to record.
About SpO2 Background Measurements
The Blood Oxygen app on your Apple Watch will occasionally measure your blood oxygen levels if background measurements are on. This will usually happen when you are not moving. Depending on how active you are, the number of readings collected each day and the time between these readings will vary. Blood oxygen measurements use a bright red light that shines against your wrist, so it may be more visible in dark environments. If you find the light distracting, you can turn off background measurements but this will then not record the measure.
Note that blood oxygen measurements only occur during sleep if the Track Sleep with Apple Watch setting is turned on. While in the Watch app, scroll down and tap into Sleep, you will see a switch to enable called 'Track Sleep with Apple Watch'
Sleep Respiration Tile
Only for users with an Apple Watch Series 3 or later with WatchOS 8 or higher installed (so you must have iOS 15 on your iPhone to get WatchOS 8 on your Apple Watch)
Respiration rate will only be measured if you activate the Apple Watch 'sleep mode' when you go to bed. We describe this more below in the Setting Up section
Respiration rate will only be measured if you you have the 'Track Sleep with Watch' setting on? Go into the Watch app on your iPhone, then into Sleep and you will see the switch. This needs to be on the Watch you wear to bed.
Respiration rate is the number of breathes you take each minute while sleeping. We use an abbreviation named BrPM, which stands for Breathes Per Minute
Studies have shown that in healthy individuals the respiration range is from 12 to 20 BrPM
The badge shows your average BrPM across all measurements, and the coloured rings reflect the group range. Blue is between 12 to 20 BrPM, red is when BrPM are out of this range
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Sleep Resp. (current) view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Tapping the tile will go to the Sleep Respiration View to see your measurements in detail (see Sleep Resp. View below)
Sleep Respiration View
The top trend line displays the last 21 days for your breathes per minute (BrPM) measurements, with the current avg in a gauge
Tap the trend line to go into Dashboards for additional trends information on your respiration.
The gauge can also be used to compare your current respiration against your 21 day average (red is outside the healthy range of 12 to 20)
You can scroll down to see all your measurements in detail
Sleep Respiration Setup
The requirements for respiration rate are an Apple Watch Series 3 or above and to be on iOS 15 and WatchOS 8. If you have this, there are 3 steps to follow to ensure you can capture your respiration rate: (1) Health Permissions (2) Watch Permission (3) Sleep Mode. See below for the details.
(1) Health Permission
HeartWatch needs to have access to the data to present the respiratory information. To check:
Go into iPhone Settings, then Privacy, then into Health
Find HeartWatch in the list and make sure that Respiratory Rate is turned on (see below)
NOTE: Some customers are experiencing a bug in iOS 15 that shows a blank permission page. If you encounter this problem then try this method instead:
1. Go into Apple Health app on iPhone. It has a white icon with a red heart.
2. Select Sharing tab.
3. Scroll down and select Apps.
4. Select HeartWatch.
You can now manage permissions and ensure Respiratory Rate is turned on (see image below).
Note: Apple restricts measuring respiration rate if the age in Health is under 18 years. This can sometimes catch out users who may have swapped iPhones with their children and have not updated their date of birth.
(2) Turn On Respiratory Rate in Watch Privacy
This needs to be enabled for the Apple Watch that you sleep with. Open your Watch app on your iPhone, its a side view Watch icon that looks like this:
Respiration rate will only be measured if you you have the 'Track Sleep with Watch' setting on? Go into the Watch app on your iPhone, then into Sleep and you will see the switch. This needs to be on the Watch you wear to bed.
Next, scroll down and open Privacy. Ensure that Respiratory Rate is enabled:
(3) Turning On Sleep Mode
The most important point here and one that users easily miss is that respiration will only measure if you enable sleep mode on your Apple Watch when you go to bed. Apple have designed it this way. You do not need to be using the Apple Sleep app or using the Apple sleep schedules, you just need to enable Sleep Mode at bedtime to allow the Watch to send your respiration rate data to Health on your iPhone. If you are using AutoSleep or HeartWatch apps to track your sleep you don't need to change anything, you just need to enable the Sleep Mode.
With WatchOS 8 Apple have updated the Sleep Mode which is much easier than the previous 'do not disturb' options. It is a now a very simple process to put your Watch into sleep mode. Here are the steps to enable sleep mode when you go to bed:
Swipe up on your Apple Watch to open the Control Centre
Tap the crescent moon icon. This used to be called the Do Not Disturb icon but Apple have changed it to the Focus icon in WatchOS 8
You will see an option called "Sleep" with a bed icon next to it. Tap this to activate sleep mode and your sleeping respiration rate will be captured automatically (see below image)
To confirm you are in Sleep Mode, you will notice the Control Centre Focus icon changes to a bed icon, you will also see the same bed icon at the top your screen when you go back to your Watch complication screen. This will stop your Watch annoying you during the night. See below for more information managing the Focus sleep settings in your iPhone. If you do not see this bed icon, the Watch will not capture your respiratory rate.
Note: you do not need to use Apples Sleep App or Schedules to capture respiration rate, you just need to enable the above permissions and use Sleep Mode at bedtime
Glucose Tiles
There are 3 tiles for Glucose including Sleeping Glucose, Waking Glucose and Daily Glucose.
Waking Glucose is similar to fasting glucose, where a blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast
A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes.
Daily Glucose is during the day. This is aimed more at users who take multiple readings during the day. Blood glucose levels are measured in millimoles per litre of blood (mmol/L). Target ranges may differ depending on your age, duration of diabetes, the type of medication you are taking and if you have any other medical problems.
Speak with your doctor about your individual target ranges. Normal blood glucose levels are between 4.0–7.8mmol/L.
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages. The gauges are different to the others as there is no real green or red. There are 2 reds either side if outside of normal range. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Glucose (current) view
Touch and hold the tile to go to the Dashboards view
Waking Tile
A heart rate can change dramatically over the course of a night, however your Waking pulse is considered one of the gold standards when measuring your resting heart rate. This is automatically captured when you start to wake from sleep if using the HeartWatch sleep function or using our AutoSleep app
Studies have found that your waking pulse is a strong predictor of cardiovascular health. Pay attention to different factors that may influence your measurement such as activity, mood, food or alcohol
The Waking tile shows the last 7 days in the main badge, with the most recent value underneath. The straight grey line is the 7 day average
Swipe the tile to view how it compares to your averages. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red your waking pulse is high compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the Waking (current) view
Tap the tile to go to the Dashboards Waking View (see below)
Note: For users who do not sleep with watch and do not record a waking heart rate but still want to measure their resting heart rate. This is best to do this in morning when you wake up and put your Watch on, lay in bed or sit in a quiet place just run a manual pulse check with the Watch app.
Waking View
The Waking View directs you to the Dashboards and pre-loads the Waking Category. Refer to Dashboards for information on how to better explore these graphs
HRV Tile
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a method for assessing the effects of stress on your body, by measuring the variances between your heart beats
HeartWatch tiles allow you to view your Sleeping HRV and Waking HRV separately.
Splitting the Waking and Sleeping HRV into seperate tiles can assist with providing context on your HRV measures. You may prefer to use just one measure and turn the other off, or you may find insights from both
Waking HRV will take the HRV measurement from your waking sleep window, however it is best measured by activating a breathe session on your Apple Watch, ideally with a standard protocol such as on wake up each morning in the same position. Most of the research and common practice is focused on Waking HRV. This is the recommended process to ensure consistent quality HRV data capture.
Note that since WatchOS 8, the breathe app is now found in the Mindfulness app on your Apple Watch.
Refer to the official Apple support page for learning how to use the breathe function here
Sleep HRV is automatically captured by your Apple Watch during your asleep time, making it easy to capture and your body is in a resting state. The Sleep HRV value is the average of all these measures over the period of your sleep, which is important to provide the best accurate Sleeping HRV measure across all your different sleep stages
The HRV tile shows the last 7 days in the main badge (it looks a bit like a coloured worm), with the most recent value underneath. The straight grey line is the 7 day average
Swipe the tile with your finger to view how it compares to your averages. If the gauge is in green you are well ahead of your trends, if in red you are not doing well compared to your trends. You can compare 7 day and 21 day trends by tapping the icons below the gauge. Swipe the tile again to go back to the HRV (current) view
Tap the tile to go to the Dashboards HRV View (see below)
HRV View
The HRV View directs you to the Dashboards and pre-loads the HRV Category of Sleep or Waking. Refer to the Dashboards HRV section for information on how to better explore these graphs
About Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
It's a common misconception that a healthy heart always beats like a metronome, every beat in perfect time. In reality, this is what happens when we are more physically or mentally stressed. When we are not physically or mentally stressed, the heart tends to have a more significant beat to beat variation.
How to Record Waking HRV
There's a surprisingly easy and pleasant way to capture HRV. Upon waking, do a 1 minute session using the Breathe app on your Apple Watch. The best way is to set this up as a complication on your Watch face.
When capturing HRV consistency is everything. When you wake, don't sit up, don't do any vigorous movement, just start the Breathe app session whilst lying down, close your eyes and relax. Don't move. Not only does this ensure maximal consistency of measurement, but it's also a nice way to start the day.
What's a Good HRV measurement?
HRV is reported in milliseconds. There is no point in comparing your reading with someone else. There's also no point in comparing the readings to those taken at other times during the day. It means next to nothing. The value comes over time. HeartWatch will start to determine your baseline HRV measurement for Sleeping and Waking periods. The value comes from comparing your day to day changes against your baseline. Generally speaking, if your HRV reading is above your baseline it means you are less stressed. If below the baseline it means you are likely more stressed.
Ideally, you should capture HRV every morning. At a minimum 5 morning's a week will give acceptable results. The AutoSleep app can also be used to rate Readiness if you want to expand more on your HRV. AutoSleep and HeartWatch work in tandem together if you prefer this path.
Tip - refer to the official Apple support page for learning how to use the breathe function here. This will enable you to start taking HRV measures with your Apple Watch.
Blood Pressure (BP) Tile
Blood Pressure is the measurement of the pressure of the blood in the artery
Systolic blood pressure (the first number you see recorded), indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart beats
Diastolic blood pressure (the second number you see recorded), indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats
The BP am and BP pm tile show the last 7 days in the main badge, with the most recent value underneath. The straight grey line is the 7 day average
Note that BP pm is turned off by default. You can switch the BP pm tile on by going to Settings - HeartWatch Tiles
Swipe the tile to see what current category you are in (refer to guideline categories below)
Tap the tile to go to the Dashboards BP view to see your trends
Blood Pressure AM and PM
There is a very specific reason for this. To derive benefit from tracking blood pressure over time you need to establish a protocol where you take the BP reading at the same time each day under the same conditions. The reason being that blood pressure varies so much dependent on time of day, food, exertion, stress, etc. This way you are comparing a specific measurement protocol across days, weeks and months. From this you are able to identify trends and changes. Mixing multiple readings together would eliminate the ability to do this.
Measuring Blood Pressure
The Apple Watch cannot measure your blood pressure, so you need a validated device to do the measurements. Unless you have an integrated device that sends your blood pressure readings directly into Apple Health, we recommend using the Speak option on the HeartWatch app, its super easy and it recognises your voice as a blood pressure measure and puts it directly into your Health app! More information can be found in the Watch Use section on recording measures and notes, but as a quick example, you just open the Watch app (see below image), Touch and Hold (long press) anywhere in the app, select Measure and then speak the reading, for example "blood pressure 124 over 81", HeartWatch will do the rest by recognising it as a blood pressure reading and add it directly into HeartWatch. Easy peasy.
There’s an am and pm view so users can establish a morning, afternoon or evening protocol as well. Establish a protocol with your doctor, but a protocol advised by some of our medical users are :
Wake up
Toilet if required
No coffee or food
Rest 5 mins then measure
This lets you compare like results. But main thing is one consistent morning reading at a similar time, or optionally an afternoon or evening reading. All these blood pressure readings can be viewed in detail via the Dashboards
To assist further, we also included the classification of clinic blood pressure levels in adults from the Heart Foundation. Refer to the below table to see diagnostic categories used in HeartWatch:
When you swipe the BP tiles to flip them, it will show what category you are in based on your measure compared to the above guidelines. As always, consult your doctor if any concerns. See some examples below.
Temperature Tile
Your body’s a bit like a little oven that is always on. It generates heat to keep you alive. However there is a typical normal temperature range to be in, so when it is a lot higher or a lot less, it’s trying to tell you there’s a problem
Not everyones normal is the same, but for a typical adult, studies show normal body temperature can be anywhere from 97.7 F (36.5C) to 99.5 F (37.5C)
HeartWatch lets you use Wrist Temperature which is captured automatically when you sleep, or you can use Body Temperature which allows values to be entered via the Speak function or Journal tab. More details on this in the below section.
The Temperature tile show the last 7 days in the main badge, with the most recent value underneath. The straight grey line is the 7 day average
Swipe the tile to see where your current temperature compares to a 7 day and 21 day average on a gauge view. For reference, the grey shade is 35.7C to 37.6C and the first quarter of red is 37.61 - 38
Tip: if you already have historical wrist temperature measures that show in the Health app, run a rebuild in HeartWatch to show these values. In the HeartWatch iPhone app, go into Settings (little red cog top right corner), into Advanced Settings, then tap on Rebuild History. Wait a few minutes for the last 12 months to rebuild, which will include past wrist temperature values.
Setup Wrist Temperature
If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or Ultra you can capture wrist temperature automatically while you sleep. However you need to allow a few settings in order for the Apple Watch to measure temperature while you sleep. Follow these steps to enable:
(1) Turn on Wrist Temperature in HeartWatch Wellness Tiles
Open the HeartWatch Settings tab
Scroll down and tap into HeartWatch Tiles
Go into Temperature and turn on the 'Use Wrist Temperature' switch. On the same page, turn on the switch called 'Show this tile on Today' (see image below)
Accept any health permissions that may show for wrist temperature.
The default is set to degrees celsius (c), but you can change to Fahrenheit (f) in settings by going into Units of Measure
(2) Track Sleep with Apple Watch
Open the Watch app on your iPhone (it looks like a black icon of a Watch). Scroll down and tap on 'Sleep'. Make sure that 'Track Sleep with Apple Watch' is turned on (see below):
(3) Turn on Sleep Focus
At bedtime, you need to ensure your Watch is in Sleep Focus mode to capture temperature data. Apple quotes this needs to be on for at least 4 hours to capture temperature. Swipe up on your Watch face to open the Control Centre, tap on the half moon icon to open the Focus/Do Not Disturb options. Tap on Sleep to enable the Sleep Focus mode, the half moon icon will change to a bed icon. This will turn off the Watch display and put it into a Do Not Disturb mode (see below).
Manual Input of Temperature
If you do not have Watch Series 8 or Ultra, you can use a thermometer to take your body temperature, simply open the Speak option on the HeartWatch Watch app, it recognises your voice as a body temperature measure and puts it directly into your Health app! More information can be found in the Watch Use section on recording measures and notes, but as a quick example, you just open the Watch app (see below image), Touch and Hold (long press) anywhere in the app, select Measure and then speak the reading, for example if I say "37.1 degrees", HeartWatch will do the rest by recognising it as a body temperature reading and add it directly into HeartWatch.
*Note - you can only use one of Wrist Temperature or Body Temperature, you cannot use the automated Wrist Temperature and also input manual measurements, it is one or the other. This is due to Apple setting these up as seperate health metrics in the Health app, they are completely independent of each other.
Temperature Graph
Tap the tile to go to the Dashboards Temperatures view to see your trends, see below an example of a 6 week view with a 7 day trend line:
ECG Tile
An electrocardiogram (also called an ECG or EKG) is a test that records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make the heart beat. By looking at an ECG, a doctor can gain insights about your heart rhythm and look for irregularities.
The ECG requires an Apple Watch Series 4 and above and is only available in selected countries. Refer here for available countries.
An ECG is recorded using the ECG app that is inbuilt into your Watch.
How to Record an ECG
Make sure that your Apple Watch is snug and on the wrist that you selected in the Apple Watch app.
Open the ECG app on your Apple Watch.
Rest your arms on a table or in your lap.
With the hand opposite your watch, hold your finger on the Digital Crown. You don't need to press the Digital Crown during the session.
Wait. The recording takes 30 seconds. At the end of the recording, you will receive a classification, then you can tap Add Symptoms and choose your symptoms.
The entry will now appear in HeartWatch where you can drill into the measurement for the additional detail view
Apple clearly states the following things to note about an ECG on its website:
The ECG app cannot detect a heart attack. If you ever experience chest pain, pressure, tightness, or what you think is a heart attack, call emergency services immediately.
The ECG app cannot detect blood clots or a stroke.
The ECG app cannot detect other heart-related conditions. These include high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, high cholesterol, or other forms of arrhythmia.
If you’re not feeling well or are feeling any symptoms, talk to your doctor or seek immediate medical attention.
ECG View
Once you have taken an ECG from your Apple Watch, tap on the ECG tile in HeartWatch to open the ECG Detail view. HeartWatch uses a top graph and bigger graph with clearly visible square plots to easily allow you to view your ECG. Use the top track to swipe across all the measurements from the 30 second capture, or touch a spot and the graph will auto scroll to that place in the chart.
ECG Basics Information
At the bottom of the screen we explain some of the key concepts of the ECG graph with a sample. As with all HeartWatch functions, we like to provide some education and context, so we hope this basic example helps in better understanding an ECG graph.
% Elevated
This tile can be viewed in the Morning Briefing in News. When you have been still for 5 minutes prior HeartWatch will measure your heart rate and record it as a sedentary heart rate. % Elevated is the percentage of these readings above 100 bpm.
You can view your sedentary heart rate breakup for a full day by going into the Sedentary detail view. See below the red bar called Elevated, showing the amount of the day that is Elevated. This is the percentage that is reflected in the % Elevated tile.
To view your % Elevated over a longer time period, from 6 weeks to 12 months, you can go into the Explore or Dashboards view to view a trend over time.
What Are "Use Watch" Tiles?
Some tiles rely on retrieving data from another source such as a thermostat for body temperature, so with HeartWatch we made the ability to be able to speak these measurements into your Watch. If no data exists for the current day, a handy little reminder shows how you can use the Watch App speak functionality to record the measurement. This applies only for Weight, Waist Circumference, Blood Pressure (am/pm), Body fat % and Temperature, for example, if I say "34.7 degrees" into my Watch app, it will recognise it as a body temperature measurement and update the HeartWatch Temperature tile. Refer to the Speak section for more information.
If you prefer to use the iPhone to input these measurements, you can also use the Journal to type in the results for today or historical values.
Wellness Video
Try the following video which shows the basics for using the Wellness Tiles: