If there’s a silver lining of the pandemic, it’s that discussing mental well-being is no longer taboo. More and more celebrities and public figures are talking openly about their own mental health challenges, encouraging others to do the same and to get the help they need when they need it. Mental health awareness is at an all-time high, a good first step to empowering people to take the lead in their own mental fitness.
The other good news is we have technology – wearables, smartphones and apps – at our fingertips to help us improve our mental well-being as we navigate our stressful lives.
Fact: no one uses all the tools and apps available on their smartphones and wearables. Research in this buildfire article shows there are more than 80 apps installed on the average smartphone, but only nine mobile apps are used each day.
Sure, social media and gaming apps are fun to use, and we all have our favorite apps we use for work. But what if the tools you already have – smartphone and wearable – helped you improve your own mental well-being? Suddenly, technology we use – wear – every day can be used to decrease stress and help us relax.
Health insurers and employee wellness programs see the wisdom in offering digital health and wellness apps. Less stress equals more productive, more creativity and happier employees and customers. Makes sense.
This is where AlphaBeats is making a difference, using technology and music you love to reduce stress.
How does it work?
Open the AlphaBeats app on your smartphone. Slip on your headphones, connect your wearable and choose your favorite playlist.
We create a biofeedback loop that activates an algorithm which makes small changes in the music you’re listening to. When you’re under stress, your brain produces beta waves. When you’re relaxed, your brain produces alpha waves. The algorithm constantly measures how the body and mind react to the music and uses that input to fast-charge you to the restful “alpha” state … in just 10 minutes.
In this Time article, mindfulness and meditation guru Deepak Chopra and Fitbit CEO James Park talk about their partnership that brings together wearable technology and mental fitness tools.
Chopra says, “I think of technology as the evolution of human consciousness. Who created technology? We created technology, right? And technology is unstoppable. So how do we use it to our benefit?”
That’s the question.
As of March 2021, there is a 37% shortage of mental healthcare providers in the U.S. More and more people with mental health challenges are coming forward for treatment, much of it provided remotely. With wearables and digital health apps readily accessible, there is a focus on preventive care which alleviates pressure on a strained provider network.
AlphaBeats focuses on establishing a new routine to bring down stress, putting the power with the individual and leveraging wearable devices’ advanced sensors and accelerometers to monitor and measure biosignals – from heart rate variability and breathing rates to blood oxygen levels. Biofeedback can alert users when stress levels rise, for example. Our technology can turn a wearable from a warning and tracking device into a stress reduction “treatment.”
Wearable devices – Fitbit, Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Garmin and upcoming Whoop and Oura Ring – smartphones and apps aren’t new technologies. We use them every day. They are either ON us or near us at all times.
We’re leveraging all this technology to tackle a monumental health challenge: stress. We’re excited to be a part of the solution.
Also read: Integrate AlphaBeats in your self-care routine for better sleep
