From analyzing your sleep patterns to monitoring an aging parent’s steadiness, your iPhone’s health app can be a valuable way to track and share important health information. Apple’s highly customizable app allows you to pick and choose which health categories are most important to you and, in some cases, prompt you to make various lifestyle choices.
Here’s a closer look at how to use some of the best features of the health app.
Tap into your health checklist
Before delving into the health app categories, click your profile in the upper right-hand corner and then tap on “health checklist.” Under this checklist, you’re able to set up a variety of health features, one of which is your medical ID. Here, you can include any medical conditions you have, allergies and medications along with an emergency contact. When you use Emergency SOS (which you can enable by pressing the side button and either volume button simultaneously), your iPhone automatically contacts 911, and a message with your current location goes to your emergency contact without having to unlock your phone. Emergency responders can access any critical information within your medical ID, like drug allergies.
Set Up Sleep Focus
In the sleep category, you can record your ideal amount of sleep per night and set a bedtime and wake up time by activating “sleep schedule”, which automatically turns on an alarm and reminds you to get ready for bed. You are also able to change this by day and turn it off for the weekend, or keep Tuesday and Thursday separate from the rest of the week, for example.
Once you record your optimal sleep schedule, you’re prompted to set up a “wind down time” which will temporarily disable certain functions on your phone and ensure you are rid of distractions. I decided to set up a 30-minute wind-down window where I have shortcut access to just the Calm app, so I can listen to music before bed, and the notes app, if I’m trying to remember something for the morning.
Share your health records
Under your profile, you can opt to add health records and data from appointments. You can add any health records you have so they are in one place, which is crucial for specialists looking to see the full picture. Under the health app’s sharing tab, you can also share any of your health data with another person. This is especially helpful for caregivers. You can have your dad grant you permission to access the specific data he wants to share, for example, and you’ll be able to check in on his exercise minutes, sleep duration, or mobility.
Monitor a senior’s steadiness
Even with your phone in your pocket, this walking steadiness feature can monitor your balance and detect your risk of falling within the next 12 months.
This feature is helpful for caregivers. You could ask an aging parent to share this information from their health app and you’ll be notified if they’re at risk for falling or if their steadiness is decreasing.
If you scroll through category, you’ll see exercise suggestions to help improve walking mobility and steadiness.
Get notifications if you’re bopping too loud to music
Your health app also allows you to monitor headphone audio levels. Go to headphone audio levels and enable notifications, so you’ll be alerted if you’re listening to audio too loudly. You can also see if your noise exposure is approaching the 7-day recommended limit under environmental sound levels.
Repeated exposure to loud noise can lead to hearing damage and loss.
Use a third-party app to track mindfulness practices
Many other apps pair with the apple health app to keep your health and well-being information in one area. You can also pair your phone with Calm, Headspace and other mindfulness apps by going into the app’s settings and pairing it with the Apple health app. Your progress will all be tracked in one place. If you have the apple watch, you can use mindfulness minutes without pulling out your phone and be prompted to breathe or reflect for one minute.
Monitor your heart rate
For Apple watch users, under the heart rate category, you can monitor your resting heart rate and also turn on notifications when an irregularly high or irregularly low heart rate is detected. You can also share the data with your doctor.
In the same section, you can also see your cardio fitness, measured by your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body takes in during exercise. You can see your number compared with the average VO2 max.
If you go back to your “health checklist,” you can set up your ECG app, which will take an electrocardiogram with your watch. You can pull up this graph and also share it with a doctor.
Other health app features include activity, where you can monitor your exercise minutes, standing minutes and distances, cycle tracking and even a place to track your symptoms on a given day.
