Stress Monitor Week 2

I have been using the Stress Monitor for Watch app with my iPhone and my Apple Watch for about 2 weeks now. To the left is a screen shot of my weekly monitor analytics. The app aggregates information across Apple Health apps as well as any third party health apps to determine your stress levels and responses. Currently the app is tracking my activity, my heart rate variability, sleep & resting heart rate. It will also generate a PDF report that you can send to yourself, your health coach or your healthcare provider. I think that is a pretty cool feature!

My one gripe with the app is that it suggests that I "pay attention” to my stress levels when I sleep. I haven’t figured out how I am supposed to do that while I am sleeping, but I am sure it is good information about what my body may be doing while I sleep. I have not determined if my heart rate goes up when I get up to go to the bathroom, if I am dreaming, when I turn over in my sleep or if in fact my heart rate is just changing during sleep for some other health or stress related reason.  Admittedly I have been more stressed than usually lately. The app has been great so far to give me a good picture of my stress health. It has also been responsible for encouraging me to go to bed earlier. I see a lot of red and orange in this week’s analytics. It also says that Saturday was my most stressful day, and it certainly was! I wouldn’t consider it bad stress, but it was enough to send my body into a stress response.

The other thing I like about this app are the “Insights” which include articles and tips on managing stress using integrative health and wellness approaches. Among other things, the articles discuss morning light, meditation, essential oils for stress, healthy foods to fight stress and staying hydrated.  I am going to be recommending this app to my clients going forward and it was well worth paying for. 

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