Tech Tip - How Apple Health Supports Mental Health: 5 Key Features
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a timely reminder that our mental well-being is just as crucial as our physical health. For those in the retail industry, the challenges are evident, yet sometimes overlooked. A recent survey revealed that 78% of retail workers experienced stress, anxiety, or depression in the past four weeks. Factors such as retail crime, the rising cost of living, and workplace pressures contribute to this mental health toll.
While seeking professional help is essential, there are also tools at our fingertips that can support our mental health journey. If you own an iPhone, the built-in Apple Health app offers features that can help you monitor and improve your mental well-being. This makes it easy for anyone to work on taking better care of themselves.
Apple’s Commitment to Mental Health
Tim Cook has said he believes that the Apple Watch and Apple’s commitment to personal health will be their most important work. You don’t need an Apple Watch for everything, more on that below. The watch aside, Apple has recognized the importance of mental health, integrating features into its devices to help users reflect on their emotional state. Dr. Sumbul Desai, Vice President of Health at Apple, emphasized this focus:
“We’re assessing objective measures like sleep, physical activity, heart rate, daily routines... to give us a sense of what the relationship is between these factors and symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
This holistic approach demonstrates the need for understanding how all of our daily habits and mental health are connected. Apple has built in many support options for these daily items with the iPhone alone. Here are five things that are part of the iOS platform, all centered around Apple’s commitment to personal and mental well-being.
5 Apple Health App Features That Support Mental Health
1. Mindfulness Tracking
The Health app allows you to track your mindfulness minutes, integrating with apps like Calm and Headspace. If you use an Apple Watch, the Mindfulness app provides guided breathing sessions to help reduce stress. Regular mindfulness practice can enhance emotional regulation and reduce anxiety. Even without a watch, you can add your own data to track, taking a few minutes for yourself to clear your mind. If you already have a meditation practice, you can enter that information each day to track your progress over time.
2. Sleep Insights
Quality sleep is foundational to mental health. The Health app enables you to set sleep schedules and track your sleep patterns. By analyzing this data, you can identify habits that may be impacting your sleep and make adjustments to improve sleep quality. You can get a lot of data from this tracking. While it works better with an Apple Watch, it is not necessary to get some benefit. Reviewing your sleep history over time can help determine where you may need to adjust certain routines. Connecting this with your morning moods or your general physical feeling really fine-tunes your sleep schedule and sleep needs. I have found this very interesting to use in helping me craft a more ideal sleep schedule throughout the week. I can also attest that better sleep, reduced stress, and maintaining a consistent bedtime routine significantly reduce breathing disturbances, a common sign of sleep apnea.
3. Mood Tracking (iOS 17+)
With iOS 17, Apple introduced mood tracking features. You can log your emotions and see how factors like sleep and activity levels correlate with your mood over time. This self-awareness can be a powerful tool in managing mental health. Within the Health app itself, you can capture your daily ‘State of Mind,’ and the health app can then track this over time. If you want to ease into the idea of simple journaling, this may be the quiet way to do so. There is no need for lengthy entries, just a quick capture of how you’re feeling at the moment. Using this once or twice throughout the day will give you a chance to pause and reflect on how you’re feeling.
4. Movement and Activity
Physical activity is closely linked to mental well-being. The Health app tracks your steps and activity levels, encouraging you to stay active. Even moderate exercise can boost mood and reduce symptoms of depression. Numerous studies have shown that moving and walking are excellent ways to support mental health. Getting outside, even for a few minutes each day, can dramatically improve mood and mental clarity. Even on days when I know I'll be inside for meetings and such, I try to take a few minutes to walk outside and get some fresh air and soak up the sun. Just a walk to the mailbox can be a huge boost in many ways.
5. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate
This last one is for Apple Watch users. Monitoring HRV and resting heart rate can provide insights into stress levels and overall health. Significant changes in these metrics may indicate increased stress or fatigue, prompting you to take proactive steps. Even without an Apple Watch, you can purchase simple devices and then add them manually to your phone in the Health app. Things like your pulse at different times of the day, your blood oxygen levels, or your temperature are all indicators of your well-being when viewed in context to what you are doing and over time.
Bonus Item
I felt like we needed an extra item since that last one was for Apple Watch users. The Apple Health app by itself becomes a diary of all health-related items. That brings peace of mind, and it's a great way to share information with your doctor. Just a few years ago, the only reason we would probably show our doctor our phone was for pictures of our family. Today, that is common practice and even a request. I recently had my doctor ask me if I was tracking a few vitals so he could understand the history. Instead of overreacting to a single metric at the moment in the office, I could share what it looked like over time. Examples like that lead to better outcomes in our best interest.
Enhancing the Experience with Apple Watch
Pairing your iPhone with an Apple Watch unlocks additional features that support mental health. The Watch can prompt you to take mindfulness breaks, track your activity more accurately, and provide real-time feedback on your physiological state. This seamless integration encourages consistent self-care practices. It is just another way to ensure you are providing the best possible care for yourself. You deserve that. By the way, it doesn’t have to be an Apple Watch; that just pairs best with the Apple Phone.
Integration with Third-Party Apps
The Health app serves as a central hub, integrating data from various third-party apps focused on mental health. Apps like Day One for journaling, Moodnotes for cognitive behavioral techniques, and Auto-Sleep for sleep analysis can feed data into Health, providing a comprehensive view of your well-being. Being able to see your data together in one place is fantastic (and helpful). I expect Apple will continue to build this out and eventually leverage its AI tools to help users seek assistance when patterns emerge that could indicate concerns.
Further Resources
For more insights into mental health apps and strategies:
Managing Your Mental Health
Managing mental health is an ongoing journey, especially in high-stress industries like retail. While technology isn't a substitute for professional care, tools like the Apple Health app can empower you to take proactive steps toward well-being. By leveraging these features, you can gain insights into your habits, recognize patterns, and make informed decisions to support your mental health. It is another way that technology can help, not hurt us, when used appropriately. It's free, and it's built-in – so take advantage of the Apple Health app for your mental well-being.
How have you used the Apple Health app or others to help you manage mental well-being?
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