WHOOP Health Monitor: Key Metrics and Health Alerts

The WHOOP Health Monitor displays your key health metrics in one place, including heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate, blood oxygen level, and skin temperature, which are tracked by WHOOP sensors like the 4.0, 5.0, and MG.

To help members more easily identify unexpected changes in their physiological metrics, WHOOP introduced the Health Monitor. The Health Monitor allows WHOOP members to quickly scan several vitals to see which metrics are within or outside of their typical range. This article explains what the Health Monitor is, which metrics it tracks, how to interpret health alerts, and how this feature helps you stay ahead of your health.

What is the Health Monitor

The Health Monitor displays your live heart rate along with key health metrics from the previous night's sleep. WHOOP measures your respiratory rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels (SpO2), and skin temperature. The monitor then indicates whether each of these health stats are within your personal normal range.

Key metrics in the Health Monitor

The Health Monitor provides a centralized view of five key physiological metrics. Each metric reflects your body's overall status.

• Respiratory Rate: The number of breaths you take per minute during sleep, a fundamental indicator of your respiratory health.
• Blood Oxygen (SpO2): The percentage of oxygen in your blood, which reflects how efficiently your body transports oxygen.
• Resting Heart Rate (RHR): The number of times your heart beats per minute when you are at rest, a key marker of your cardiovascular fitness.
• Heart Rate Variability (HRV): The variation in time between each heartbeat, offering insight into your body's readiness to perform.
• Skin Temperature: Your skin's temperature measured during sleep, which can indicate how your body is recovering or responding to your environment.

Understanding your health alerts

The Health Monitor uses a color-coded system to help you interpret your data at a glance. These alerts notify you if a metric deviates from your established baseline.

Health Monitor displays key physiological metrics and alerts you if any are beyond their typical baseline range.

• A green check indicates that a metric is within its typical range for you.
• An orange or red exclamation point means a metric has fallen outside of its typical range.

If you receive an alert, pay closer attention to your recent behaviors. Consider changes in diet, exercise, or stress that you may have logged in your Journal. A single deviation is not a diagnosis, but trends over several days can provide valuable information about how your body is responding.

Looking to share this information with a healthcare professional, coach, or wellness specialist? Download the Health Report, a PDF of your physiological data over the last 30 or 180 days. The Health Report makes it easier to view trends and share the physiological data that powers WHOOP metrics like Strain and Recovery.

Where to find the Health Monitor in the WHOOP app

When you first open the app, the Health Monitor appears on the Home Screen once you have sufficient data to create a baseline. Tapping on Health Monitor shows you if any metrics are outside the normal range. Metrics are color coded to alert you of any potential abnormalities.

Tapping on individual metrics provides more details, including exact readings and information about your typical range. Even if all your Health Monitor stats are green, your Recovery may not be green. Recovery measures how ready your body is to perform that day and is calculated differently than Health Monitor alerts.

The value of a personalized health baseline

WHOOP operates on an "always on" philosophy. Collecting continuous data builds a sensitive baseline that helps you identify when your health metrics are out of your normal range, even if they fall within the normal range for the general population. This personalized approach means you compare yourself to your own unique physiology, not population averages.

With the Health Monitor, large changes in physiological metrics are flagged on the app's Home Screen. This provides an actionable way to understand your health day to day.

The power of knowing yourself with 24/7 physiological data

A story about my father's health exemplifies the power of the "always on" philosophy. In July 2020, after joining WHOOP, he noticed his respiratory rate increasing. A few days later, he experienced shortness of breath during exercise.

Seeking medical attention, he expected a COVID-19 diagnosis, but multiple tests came back negative.

Respiratory rate and resting heart rate trends displayed in the new WHOOP health report.

For weeks, my father bounced between doctors. His symptoms were significant, yet pulmonary function tests came back within the population "normal" range. Knowing his data was not normal for him, he pushed for answers.

A CT scan in September revealed signs of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, a rare viral disease that can cause severe damage if left untreated. After treatment, his WHOOP respiratory rate returned to his baseline. The Health Monitor helped him understand when his metrics deviated from his own normal range, not population averages.

This personalized approach helps people understand their health and wellness in a way that population averages cannot. It allows members to track important metrics and share their data with doctors and wellness professionals.

Stay ahead of your health with WHOOP

The Health Monitor translates your body's signals into clear, actionable insights. It empowers you to make smarter daily decisions that support your long-term performance and Healthspan.

Frequently asked questions about the Health Monitor

What do the different colors in the Health Monitor mean?

The colors provide a quick reference to your personal baseline. A green check means the metric is within your typical range. An orange or red exclamation point means the metric is outside of your typical range, suggesting you may want to monitor it over the next few days.

If all my Health Monitor metrics are green, will my Recovery always be green?

Not necessarily. The Health Monitor tracks deviations in key vital signs, while your Recovery score measures your body's readiness to take on Strain. Recovery is calculated using HRV, RHR, and your recent sleep performance, so you can have all vitals within normal range but still have lower Recovery due to insufficient sleep.

How can the Health Monitor provide insights for different life stages like perimenopause?

By establishing a personalized baseline, the Health Monitor helps you identify subtle shifts in your physiology over time. During life stages like perimenopause, you can use the Health Monitor with the Journal to see how changes in RHR, HRV, and skin temperature correlate with new symptoms. This provides valuable insights into your body's unique journey.

Can I share my Health Monitor data with a doctor or coach?

Yes. You can export a 30-day or 180-day Health Report as a PDF directly from the WHOOP app. This report provides a clear, shareable summary of your physiological trends, making it easier to have informed conversations with healthcare professionals, coaches, or trainers.

The products and services of WHOOP are for general informational purposes and are not medical devices intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. It is important to note that some features introduced after this article's publication have been subject to regulatory scrutiny by the FDA.