Keeping body and mind in balance
We all know that the daily challenges require energy from body (physical energy) and mind (mental energy). Consuming energy is normal and the body has been made to handle it. However, energy which is used is no longer available and therefore needs to be regained.
A good mental health starts with regular recovery.
BioRICS Mindstretch is a preventive tool that gives insights in mental energy use and recovery, based on objective measurements from the body. If your metabolic system – and also your immune system – comes under pressure due to chronic stress or lasting mental load, the BioRICS Mindstretch app alerts you and helps you to take action before a health issue appears.
The Mindstretch app connects with the following Fitbit (smart)watches that measure heart rate: Fitbit Inspire (2, 3) Charge (2, 3) and Versa (3). These models connect with most popular Android and Apple smartphones which have as operating system Apple iOS 15 or higher or Android 9 or higher.
Mindstretch guides companies and organizations
Please note that the Mindstretch app is only available to companies and organizations
Your life in balance
More energy
Sleep well
Happy at work
Feel supported
Why monitor your energy balance?
Many people often lack energy or feel permanently tired without knowing why. This can happen after a period of feeling extremely fit & full of energy, making them believe that they can cope with every challenge in life! However, at that very moment, they are putting themselves in danger, building-up chronic stress. Chronic stress makes people perform extraordinary well but after this phase, exhaustion follows.
The BioRICS Mindstretch app gives personal insights in:
- How much mental energy is used by the brain during the day and for which events;
- How much mental energy is regained during the day;
- How much recovery is catched from sleep and has filled-up the battery to start the day with;
- How does the energy balance evolve over several weeks and months.
State-of-the-art technology
The BioRICS Mindstretch methodology is built on science. The measurement results are accurate and reliable, also when the user is moving.
As every individual is different and unique, the algorithms adapt to the time-varying character of the user and therefore use an individual baseline.
Private and discrete
As the software runs on the user’s own smartphone, it is a fully private tool that can be used in all secrecy by the user only.
The user always stays in control of his/her data and he/she is the only person who can decide whether or not to share personal results with other parties (i.e. the coach or professional care provider).
Prevention is key
To prevent a person from developing a health problem at some moment in his/her life, health monitoring (using a wearable) should start early enough and become part of everyday life (like wearing a watch or jewel).
The BioRICS Mindstretch app runs in an automated way and allows continuous monitoring 24hr/7.
The daily mental graph
Orange peaks: this is the energy used by your brain for mental tasks. Higher energy peaks occur when you are under time pressure, feeling stressed, when being strongly focused/concentrated on a specific task but also when you are very excited (a positive emotion), angry or frustrated (negative emotions).
Green peaks are these moments of the day that give you recovery. These can be moments of relaxation but can also appear when you are working quietly without time pressure or worries on your mind.
Most recovery happens during sleep. The higher and the more green peaks are shown in your graph, the better you will have recovered during the night.
Daily mental balance score
The daily mental balance score on your smartphone shows the recovery percentage for the measured period. The higher this score, the more recovery you have. This figure changes over the day as the data build-up. At the end of the day, the final day score is displayed in %. This score is also shown in the monthly overview through a green or orange bullet.
Monthly overview
This screen shows the mental balance score for the days of the month. Ideally, there should be a variation of orange and green days . If weekdays are very busy or intense, it is important to relax well during the weekend and have ‘green’ days. Regaining energy is something that should not be neglected and keeping the mental balance right is a matter of continuous attention.
Access to coaches
A little guidance or some professional support can do wonders. Via this screen, you can start a conversation with a dedicated coach who has exerperience in interpreting the BioRICS Mindstretch graphs. Soon, the BioRICS plaform will be accessible for specific “preferred” coaches and caregivers who will be able to push advice to their coachees in a private and well-protected environment.
Insights that lead to action: some examples
Example 1: Each time Tom had a heavy meal in the evening accompanied with some glasses of wine, he noticed that this was reflected by orange peaks in his Mindstretch app graph in the first hours of the night. The metabolic system indeed consumes energy to process food & alcohol, as a result of which the night’s recovery is postponed. After noticing the negative effect on his sleep quality, Tom stopped having large meals and alcohol late in the evening.
Example 2: Caroline was always so busy at the office that every evening, she had to rush off to get the kids from school in time, feeling highly nervous in traffic. The next morning started with losing time to clear up the mess left on her desk from the previous day. As the Mindstretch app reflected these feelings of time pressure, stress and frustration, she decided to organize herself in a different way, taking-up less tasks in one day, finishing them before going home and taking time to prepare herself for the next morning. This resulted in a clear and peaceful mind with less mental energy use for the same tasks.
Did you know …
- Time pressure always causes high energy use. Not overloading your daily schedule will have an immediate positive effect on your daily balance score.
- Watching TV is not so relaxing as you would think because it requires concentration from the brains. Listening to music might be a better idea to unwind in the evening. The more relaxed you are before going to bed, the faster you will start to recover at night.
- Allowing time for yourself, also during the week, will create a feeling of happiness and peace and help you to regain energy.
- Physical activity also takes away energy. Therefore, don’t do any intense sports when feeling tired or mentally weak. Try to catch enough sleep as this will be your main energy-provider.
- Do not be surprised if socialising with friends or taking alcohol is giving you orange peaks. Alhough these activities can be fun, they require energy from body and mind.
- The quality of your sleep has a high influence on the energy you need for the day. After a good night’s sleep, your daily tasks will demand less energy.
Benefits for everybody
The metabolic energy use
When mental tasks take away metabolic energy from a healthy person, compensation takes place via mental recovery periods. When however, there is an imbalance between energy use (i.e. due to chronic stress or continuous mental load) and energy production during recovery, the body consumes an excess of energy.
In such situations like i.e. a work/life out-of-balance situation, the body is in shortage of metabolic energy production. Long before the symptoms of disease, depression or burn-out appear, the body has been weakened and the immune system put under pressure due to a lack of recovery from the flow of stressful situations (distress) experienced by the person.
Motivated employees
Every employer who strives to become the “best employer’, able to rely on happy and motivated employees who empower each other and the organisation.
Coaches
Every mental coach or professional caregiver who understands the value of objective measurements to better support individuals during treatment or after reintegration in their job.
Sports & athletes
The best way to prepare for the next game is by taking care of body and mind. But how do you know your mental status and mental resilience?
Introduce Mindstretch in my company
BioRICS Mindstretch is a professional product that fits perfectly well in a preventive company approach for employees’mental health and well-being. This is why this product is only available through companies and organizations.
