How does Cardiowell help me?

Cardiowell helps you by making you aware of times when your breathing and heart rate activity is under stress so you can do something about it. We recommend taking time throughout the day to practice breathing at six breathes per minute and becoming mindful of the events that cause you stress. Breathing at six breathes per minute increases your heart rate variability (HRV) and strengths your bodies natural ability to control blood pressure

What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?

Heart rate variability is the change in time between each heart beat. The more variation in the time interval between each heart beat, the healthier you are. Your goal is to increase your heart rate variability by breathing better throughout the day. Increases in heart rate variability has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve depression. Increases in heart rate variability results in increased autonomic nervous system regulation and enhances the bodies natural ability to control blood pressure.

![alt text][id1] [id1]:/s/download.png "HRV"

What is the difference between HRV and the Cardiowell wellness measure?

The Cardiowell wellness measure is a calculation of all your r-r intervals over the past minute. The numbers range from 1 to 140. The higher the number the better. Analysis of heart rate variability is considered the best non-invasive indicator of stress on the cardiovascular system. It measures your bodies ability to adapt to stress and is highly influenced by your breathing. Breathing regularly at six breathes per minute boosts your wellness level, calms your mind and strengthens your hearts ability to control blood pressure. By increasing your heart rate variability, you will increase your general wellness levels and strengthen your parasympathetic nervous system.

How does breathing affect heart rate variability and my wellness?

Your breathing and your heart activity work together to ensure you have enough oxygen throughout your body. When you inhale, your heart speeds up to absorb as much oxygen as possible. When you exhale, your heart slows down as it removes carbon dioxide from your system. The heart and lungs are most efficient when you are breathing closer to six breathes per minute. Breathing slow activates the bodies parasympathetic nervous system which calms the body. Breathing fast on the other hand releases stress hormones in the body and over time can cause harm. Cardiowell will remind you to breath better throughout the day and strengthen your bodies ability to mange stress.

Do you have a quick start guide?

Get started in seven simple steps.

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Where can I download the Cardiowell App?

The Cardiowell App is currently available at the [App Store] [id4] [id4]: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/cardiowell-hypertension-control-wellness-tracker/id968042029?mt=8 "Cardiowell App"

How does Cardiowell work with AppleHealth?

Sharing your data with AppleHealth allows you to view blood pressure, weight, and pulse data from other apps and devices directly on the Cardiowell Dashboard. This gives you access to all your data in one place.

Do I need to share my data with Cardiowell?

Sharing your data with Cardiowell is optional. By sharing your data with Cardiowell all your wellness data collected from the Polar H7 heart rate monitor will be stored on Cardiowell's secure cloud server. This will allow you access to your history of wellness readings. Sharing your data with Cardiowell also allows storage from Cardiowell's 'always-connected' blood pressure and weight scale devices allowing you access to the results from any device. We will soon be allowing you to share your data with your preferred healthcare provider. Apple CareKit coming soon.

How do the Cardiowell 'always-connected' devices work?

The Cardiowell 'always-connected devices' have integrated GSM cellular chips that work on the AT&T network. Any time a measurement is taken it automatically sends the results to your Cardiowell App.

How do I connect my blood pressure and/or weight scale to the Cardiowell App?

*You do not need a heart rate monitor to use the Cardiowell App. Cardiowell supports a variety of devices from AppleHealth and automatically receives data from Cardiowell's 'always-connected' devices. There are two ways to view blood pressure data and other vital sign data in the Cardiowell Dashboard.

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How do I quickly pick a Mindful Nudge setting?

Try by staring at the default which is currently set for a wellness level lower then 20 for 1 minute. This means that after two minutes of your wellness level reading 20 or less, you will get a Mindful Nudge. If you receive too many nudges try increasing the time interval from 2 minutes to 5 minutes. Otherwise reduce the sensitivity of the nudges by lowering the Mindful Nudge level from 20 to 10. Download the Quick Start Guide below

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I'm getting too many nudges, how can I make them less sensitive?

You can better determine what wellness level to set your Mindful Nudges by calculating your baseline wellness level and setting the Mindful Nudge to half of that. Determine your wellness baseline level by sitting quietly in the morning for 3 minutes while recording your heart rate variability on the Monitoring page. Take the average of the three Cardiowell Wellness values (i.e. 34) and divide by two = 17. Set your wellness level to 17 for 2 minutes or other time interval. With experience you will quickly learn how to adjust Mindful Nudges to account for the situations you are in.

How do I set up blood pressure reminders?

Taking your blood pressure regularly is recommended. Cardiowell allows you to set a morning and evening blood pressure reminder. Having a long history of blood pressure readings helps to ensure your blood pressure can be adequately managed.

How do I ensure a good signal when wearing a chest strap based heart rate monitor like the Polar H10 heart rate monitor?

*Anytime you get a spike or dropout in data from your Polar H7 HRM, it is most likely a result of your skin not having sufficient contact with the heart rate sensors electrodes. This can happen when your skin is dry. It is recommended to wet the electrodes before placing the strap on.

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What devices do you support?

*We support a variety of heart rate monitors and vital sign devices directly using a bluetooth connection to the Cardiowell App, through the cloud using Cardiowell 'always-connected' devices and from third party apps using Apple Health.

Learn more about our supported devices