JOIN USWorld Heart Day: Key features of Apple Watch to track your cardio health
In recent years, Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVD) has become the leading cause of death in the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) report says that around 17.9 million people die of CVD every year.
It adds that four out of five CVD deaths are caused by heart attacks and strokes, and one-third of the casualties occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age.
Also, recent health studies have indicated that, after the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020, there is also an increased number of deaths among the younger age group of 20 to 40 years too.
To create awareness around cardio health, every year September 29 is celebrated as World Heart Day. While doctors recommend yearly full body check-ups, people should develop a disciplined lifestyle of exercise routine and good food diets. Also, there are smart watches that can help track both their physical body and heart health. Among them, Apple Watches come on top of the recommended list.
It should be noted Apple Watches are not considered off-the-counter medical devices, but it has saved a lot of lives with timely alerts.
Read more | Apple Watch's ECG feature saves Indore resident's life
Apple Watches come with advanced heart rate trackers, and select models also boast ECG (Electrocardiogram) feature to track AFib (Atrial Fibrillation), monitor irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and also alert the user if it senses a drastic change in resting heart rate.
Here are key heart rate features you should know about Apple Watches:
Irregular rhythm notifications
High and low heart rate notification
Users can set the high and low heart rate notifications inside Health app on iPhone. And, once set, the Apple Watch will look for abnormal changes in heartbeat rate and notify you immediately. By, default the minimum rate is set at 40 Beats Per Minute (BPM) and the maximum rate is set at 120 BPM. You can change this on your iPhone.
Open the Health app >> Heart Rate >> scroll down to find Low Heart Rate and tap on it >> set 40 BPM or 45 BPM or 50 BPM. If the Apple Watch senses the heart rate is unusually low for minimum of 10 minutes, it will instantly alert you to get medical attention
Again, it is the same for High Heart Rate. In the Health App >> scroll down to find Low Heart Rate and tap on it >> set 100 Beats Per Minute (BPM) or 100 BPM or 110 BPM or 130 BPM or 140 BPM or 150 BPM. If the Apple Watch senses the heart rate is unusually high for a minimum of 10 minutes without any physical activity, it will immediately alert you to get medical attention.
Though Apple Watch routinely monitors the heart rate in the background, the user can check heart rate anytime by opening the Heart Rate app (with a heart emoji icon). Just launch the app and you get the reading in a few seconds.
ECG app
For the uninitiated, the ECG test records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make the heartbeat. By looking at an ECG, a doctor will get insights into the patient's heart rhythm and look for irregularities.
ECG is available on Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, and Ultra. The reading is similar to a single-lead (or Lead I) ECG.
You can routinely use the ECG app on Apple Watch.
Step 1: Open the ECG app (with heart rate pulse icon)
Step 2: Make sure you rest your arm on a stable platform such as a table or on your lap. Also, ensure Apple Watch snuggly fit on the wrist and is not loosely fit.
Step 3: With your hand opposite your watch, hold the finger on the Digital Crown. [Note: Do not press the Digital Crown during the session, just put the fingertip on the Digital Crown]
Step 4: The recording takes 30 seconds. At the end of the recording, you will receive an alert on your phone with classification. Then, you can tap Add Symptoms and choose your symptoms.
Cardio Fitness: The score is based on VO2 Max, a measurement of the body's ability to intake maximum oxygen during an exercise. The VO2 Max was usually used to test the endurance of an athlete and now, with the Apple Watch, owners can find their score and improve their heart health.
Here's how to check your cardio health with an Apple device:
Step 1: Open the Health app on your iPhone, then tap Browse.
Step 2: Tap Heart, then tap Cardio Fitness.
Step 3: Tap D, W, or Y to view your average for the Day, Week, or Year.
Step 4: Tap Show All Cardio Fitness Levels.
Step 5: Tap a cardio fitness level to compare your results to other levels based on your age and sex.
Apple Watch owners can also tap the 'i' icon in the top right corner above the graph to view the average cardio fitness levels for all ages , Female, Male, or All.
And, on the Health app, you can read the Health Trends, which offers simple but detailed information on body health in terms of walking steadiness, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation reading (available on select Apple Watch models), and even sleep data too. resting heart rate average and more.
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