Apple Watch Ultra 3

In a conversation with my parents (who both have an apple watch) we realized they will likely be the first generation to navigate aging with a consistent and extensive history of health data from these devices. I’m curious what benefits and challenges that will bring.

Only if we can get that data exported in a format that can be used by the next 'standard'. I've already got health data on my Android phone, a Fitbit account, my Withings devices, my old iPhone, and probably more elsewhere.

Our start-up is essentially the anti-thesis of this.

We've had bathroom scales for over a century, yet as a society, we are more obese than ever.

More data isn't the answer, and all this talk about "insights" is just re-packaging of that data.

Next generation wearables go beyond harvesting data and showing pretty graphs. They directly affect our biology, physiology, and neurophysiology in real-time to improve our health. That's why we call them Affectables. Wearables that affect.

We're beginning by focusing on enhancing the restorative function of sleep. Not more sleep, not falling asleep faster, but the directly affecting the neurological processes that define the health benefits of sleep.

If you're curious to find out more, check out https://affectablesleep.com

You can export all the data from Apple Health from a button in the app. It exports a zip with data in a usable XML format. The Health data is also available via an iOS API so there are apps available which pull and export the data in other formats (e.g. CSV). I try to connect any health related apps to Apple Health (e.g. Withings, MyFitnessPal) and use that are the central repository.

Correlation != Causation. The obesity issue has many factors (Quality of food; sedentary lifestyle changes overtime etc), the access to weighing scales actually helped with reality checks for most people.

Where do I find any of the papers associated with these devices? Have you created a page for interested parties to dig into the research behind these devices?

The research is linked directly on our website

https://www.affectablesleep.com/how-it-works

Bottom of the page.

There are about 70 papers listed there, so if there is a specific area of research you're interested in, I can help direct you to the right papers.

On android I'm able to extract some of this data by directly accessing the sqlite files in the databases directory of my rooted device, (with sudo-level permission obviously). I find that much more comfortable than having to use APIs with temporary tokens

"We've had bathroom scales for over a century, yet as a society, we are more obese than ever."

Exactly! Couple decades ago they blamed human stupidity on lack of information. Look at us now with all the data available at our fingertips. We are so well informed that we should be better humans but we aren't.

Coming back to the Apple Watch (and alternatives) perhaps what we need along with all these "insights" are a shock collar (yes, like the one for a dog) that serves as a motivation to get off one's ass and get in to better shape. I'll bet that'll sell like hotcakes /s

I'm in no way suggesting that scales MADE us overweight. Is that what you're correlation != causation comment is meant to say?

I think you're making the point for me. The "reality checks" haven't helped people to improve their health.

Data != Action.

Thanks, I'll take a look. I know someone who really struggles with insomnia. Generally speaking they wake up every night for an hour or two of tossing and turning. Based on your website, it sounds like this device aims to improve existing sleep, not deal with insomnia. Is that accurate?

I would love to try it but I'm guessing it won't work if I just buy a cheap used one and never attach it to an account and never bring it online?

Opposite direction, but I was able to export most of my activity like sleep and daily steps from Fitbit to Apple Health (using a 3rd party app unfortunately.)

Not sure what you mean by "one" but a watch will work fine without a network connection. It does need to be paired to a phone.

It'd make it less useful as a watch though because the time will drift without an NTP server.

Going to have to see some serious citations to take this out of magnetic wrist strap territory. Can you provide a citation that playing a sound during a particular phase of sleep actually does something?

But you need a counterfactual to that claim, isn't it? If people did not use weighing scales then maybe they would be even more unhealthy.

That's right. We're not an insomnia device.

I am a lifelong chronic insomniac myself, and started down this path trying to solve my own problem.

Sadly, insomnia is still an unsolved issue.

Over 50 published peer-reviewed studies and a decade of research.

https://www.affectablesleep.com/how-it-works

Bottom of the page.

Don't think of it as "sound", this isn't "gentle tones to help you sleep", and it isn't played during a particular "phase" of sleep.

It is specifically targeting individual slow-waves.

Think of it more like applying an electrical stimulation to a muscle while lifting weights, not just pumping heavy music into the gym.

Closed-loop neurostimulation, not neuromodulation.

However, you are 100% correct that overcoming the snake-oil factor is a significant challenge for us.

I don't think this is true? All my Apple Watches refuse to provide any functionality at all, including just telling the time, until I pair them with an iPhone. This was an issue when I bought my first Apple Watch because I owned an Android.

No. If we needed a counterfactual claim for everything, you could also claim that maybe scales made people fat, because we weren't fat before we had scales....

And I'm sure some will take that argument. I'm not running a debate club.