Noise levels and hearing health
We’ve been hearing a lot about hearing health lately. Apple added a bunch of new features to the AirPods Pro this fall, but the Apple Watch also has its own set of hearing health features.
Using built-in microphones to monitor your surroundings, Apple Watch will send you an alert if the noise level in your environment is too high for an extended period of time.
These alerts can be customized in settings, including adjusting the threshold at which alerts appear. You can also turn them off, as they are enabled by default. Additionally, the Apple Watch has a Noise app, which lets you check noise levels in real time and see if your surroundings are disturbing.
Breath
Apple Watch can track your breathing without touching your chest directly. It detects micro-movements while you sleep to track each breath. These movements are so small that they can only be read while you’re asleep. All your breathing data is stored in the Health app and displayed as breaths per minute.
Cardiovascular health
One little-explored but very useful metric on the Apple Watch is cardiovascular fitness, also known as VO2 Max, which represents the body's ability to use oxygen during high-intensity exercise.
Apple Watch will track your VO2 Max over time as you engage in high-intensity exercise. VO2 Max is calculated based on many factors, including your gender, age, and fitness level.
Through Apple Watch, you will get an overview of your VO2 Max level, which reflects your cardiovascular health. If this index drops to a low level, Apple Watch will warn you and give you suggestions to improve it.
Any high-intensity exercise, such as cycling, jogging or hiking, can help improve this index.
More features on Apple Watch
While we've covered a lot of health metrics here, that's not all. Apple Watch offers dozens of other health metrics you can track.
Some other indicators include the water temperature around you, how often and for how long you wash your hands, and how much physical effort you put in during your workout.
Some metrics may be more useful than others. But as you better understand the data your Apple Watch collects, you’ll be better able to use it to improve your health.
