Dr. Lauren Cheung, a doctor at Apple, has shared details on nine lesser-known health features available on the Apple Watch. These tools aim to help users monitor various aspects of their well-being, from vital signs to environmental exposures. The features leverage the device's sensors and apps to provide notifications and insights for better health management.
Dr. Lauren Cheung, a doctor at Apple, explained several underutilized health capabilities of the Apple Watch in a recent interview. These features, designed to support users' wellness, include monitoring tools for vitals, noise exposure, reproductive health, and more.
The Vitals app tracks overnight metrics such as heart rate, wrist temperature on Apple Watch Series 8 or later and Ultra models, respiratory rate, and sleep duration. Users who bought their device in the US before January 18, 2024, can also measure blood oxygen. "When two or more of your metrics are out of range, we will notify you with information about why that might be," Cheung said, noting possible causes like illness or alcohol consumption. To set it up, wear the watch for at least seven days and enable notifications in settings, along with sleep tracking.
Noise notifications alert users to loud environments using the Noise app, based on World Health Organization recommendations. Cheung emphasized, "The world can be loud, and we believe it's important for you to be educated and empowered about how your environment, and the noise around you, can impact your hearing health over time." Setup involves selecting a decibel threshold in the Watch app on iPhone.
For reproductive health, ovulation estimates on Series 8 or later use temperature sensing to detect changes as small as 0.1 degrees Celsius. "The technology is pretty remarkable," Cheung said, explaining the biphasic temperature shift post-ovulation that aids period predictions. Cycle Tracking setup requires fertility predictions and consistent sleep data.
Fall detection, available on Series 4 or later, recognizes falls during activities and alerts emergency services if needed. Cheung noted its value for active users, including during workouts like biking. It activates automatically for those 55 and older.
Heart health notifications cover high or low rates and irregular rhythms like atrial fibrillation on Series 1 or later. "Atrial fibrillation as the most common type of arrhythmia among adults... it's the leading cause of stroke," Cheung said. The ECG app on Series 4 provides recordings for sharing with doctors.
Other features include time in daylight tracking for vitamin D and mood benefits—20 minutes daily for adults, 80-120 for children to reduce myopia risk; State of Mind logging in the Mindfulness app for emotional awareness; sleep apnea notifications on Series 9 or Ultra 2 for undiagnosed adults, affecting over 1 billion people globally; and handwashing timers introduced in 2020, using machine learning to ensure 20 seconds of duration.
Each feature requires specific setups via the Health or Watch apps, emphasizing passive monitoring for informed health decisions.