Apple Watch users keep winning. Anyone who’s even remotely updated about health technology or even just smartwatches will know that Apple Watches are the best there is when it comes to health tracking. Its in-built Health and Heart apps are already pretty good, but it gets even better with third-party applications like Cardiogram.
Whether you’re hearing of Cardiogram for the first time or using it already, you’ll be glad to know that the app’s latest update is even more useful than tracking the effect of Game of Thrones on your heart. Now the app helps you track how your body’s responding to the symptoms of illnesses like the flu and even COVID-19. How? Well, last Thursday, Cardiogram released an update that lets users track heart rate differences through their Apple Watch. This can give an insight into how sickness is affecting them as the heart rate elevates when the body’s fighting an infection, especially when you’re sleeping.
However, the app shouldn’t be used as a way to self-diagnose such illnesses, as there can be various unrelated reasons for an elevated heart rate as well. Johnson Hsieh, Cardiogram’s co-founder, told AppleInsider, “Rather, we’re providing users with an additional tool to become more aware of how flu-like symptoms may be affecting their body through their heart rate patterns.”
Still, it’s interesting data, and can be helpful as an add-on precaution for people who want to keep a check on their symptoms. It should also prove as a helpful tool for those who want to monitor their loved ones’ symptoms from afar if they’re already sick. There’s also the option of exporting that data to the doctors, though this feature comes with the premium membership of the app (at approx. ₹2,000 per year). Cardiogram is otherwise free to use for individual users.
For Cardiogram to monitor you properly, you will have to wear your Apple Watch while sleeping. That shouldn’t be a problem if you’re already using your Apple Watch for sleep or health tracking. The others will just have to get used to it, I guess.
My little bit of advice: download the update right away. In the times that we’re going through, every little way in which we can monitor our health and symptoms of COVID would be a blessing.
