Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

and

QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE FITBIT APP AND DEVICE

 

WHICH WATCHES AND PHONES WORK BEST WITH THE FITBIT and MINDSTRETCH APPS?

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.

The underneath devices however often exhibit compatibility issues and therefore might not operate properly:

  • Huawei P8 Lite
  • Huawei P9 Lite
  • Xiaomi Mi 6
  • Huawei P20 Lite.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE PERSONAL INFORMATION WHICH FITBIT ASKED ME TO ENTER?

BioRICS Mindstretch does not use or store any personal information which Fitbit may ask you to enter on their platform or app.

DOES BIORICS MINDSTRETCH MAKE USE OF THE ANALYSES THAT FITBIT SUPPLY ON THEIR APP AND WEBSITE?

The Fitbit data on your fitness, sleep, exercise, etc. provided by the Fitbit app are entirely separate from the BioRICS Mindstretch app.  BioRICS Mindstretch only uses the raw data of the Fitbit wearable such as heart activity and movement to calculate the Mindstretch values.

DO I NEED A FITBIT PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION TO MONITOR WITH MINDStRETCH?

To use BioRICS Mindstreth, it is not necessary to take a Fitbit premium subscription. It is your own choice to do so or not.

DOES THE FITBIT DEVICE COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH THE BIORICS MINDSTRETCH APP?

The Fitbit wearable does not communicate directly with the BioRICS Mindstretch app. The communication goes via the Mindstretch and Fitbit clouds. Therefore, access to the internet is required.

DO I HAVE TO WEAR MY FITBIT DAY AND NIGHT?

Yes, it is essential to keep on monitoring day and night.  Without the night measurements – sleep is an important contributor to mental recovery – it is not possible to calculate the daily balance.

MY SKIN GETS IRRITATED FROM WEARING THE FITBIT. WHAT DO I DO?

Some users develop an alergic reaction from wearing the Fitbit. Here are some tips:

  • Clean the Fitbit bracelet and the skin regularly.
  • Clean and dry your wrist and the bracelet after doing physical activities, before putting-on the Fitbit again.
  • Wear the bracelet a little more loose when using it in daily life. Some people wear the bracelet more tight when doing sports. This is OK but not comfortable and not necessary for a 24hr monitoring.
  • Order a bracelet that consists of another material.

I AM NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR A WEARABLE OR WATCH at WORK, WHAT CAN I DO?

BioRICS has developed a special bracelet-holder which can be worn at the upper arm. The wearable can be put inside and the biosignals are captured as on the wrist. Today, it is used by medical care providers and in hospitals and it works well. Just get in touch if you are interested.

MY FITBIT DOES NOT MEASURE HEART RATE.  WHAT DO I DO?

The Fitbit Inspire 2 has different options to switch off/switch on the heart rate measurements e.g.

  • Clip-mode: check the settings by swiping down your Fitbit screen. Measuring heart rate is not possible when your Fitbit is clipped on a belt.
  • Heart rate ON/OFF: you will find this option in the settings, when swiping down your Fitbit screen.

You can also check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQq2X8_70tw&t=12s

If the above options are not applicable, you can still restart the Fitbit. See How do I restart my Fitbit device?

HOW OFTEN DO I HAVE TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY OF THE FITBIT DEVICE?

The battery of a Fitbit watch/tracker lasts for at least 7 days, which is very convenient for this type of continuous monitoring.

CAN I PASS-ON MY FITBIT TO ANOTHER PERSON TO LET HIM/HER MONITOR?

You can only do so after having logged-out of the app. Smartwatches need to be put back on the factory settings and set-up again. Fitbit users need to make a new account with Fitbit or use their existing Fitbit account. Be aware that, if the new user would start monitoring under your account, the baseline won’t be calculated correctly anymore and the measurement results won’t be correct either. The BioRICS Mindstretch tool is a strictly individual tool.

DO I HAVE TO CREATE A NEW FITBIT ACCOUNT FOR MINDSTRETCH?

If you do not have a Fitbit account, then you should indeed create one. If you do already have a Fitbit account, you can use this account for Mindstretch.
Note: please make sure that the Fitbit watch you will be wearing is linked to this Fitbit account before use with Mindstretch. You can only link a Fitbit watch to one Fitbit account at a time.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO WHEN I HAVE MULTIPLE FITBIT ACCOUNTS?

You can link only one Fitbit account to Mindstretch. This must then be the Fitbit account to which the Fitbit watch that is being worn is linked. You can check this in the Fitbit app by clicking on
the icon (little head) in the top left corner that takes you to the account screen.  You will then see which device is connected to this account.

I HAVE LINKED THE WRONG FITBIT ACCOUNT TO MINDSTRETCH. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

There are 2 possibilities:
1. You now pair the Fitbit watch to the Fitbit account that isconnected to Mindstretch, or
2. You contact support@biorics.com and ask to undo the pairing. Then, in the Mindstretch app, you are prompted to reconnect to your Fitbit account and this time you link to the correct Fitbit account.

 

QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE BIORICS MINDSTRETCH APP

 

I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO RECEIVE THE MEASUREMENT RESULTS OF THE BioRICS MINDSTRETCH APP

In order to be able to download the new Mindstretch version on your smartphone, you must first receive an invitation link from your employer via email. Via this link, you can create a password, then download the “Mindstretch by BioRICS” app via the App Store or Google Play and, at first login, connect the app with your Fitbit app. You will be guided through this process via the app.  Please keep your Fitbit credentials at hand because at some point, you will have to login on the Fitbit platform. These credentials do not have to be identical to the BioRICS ones.

Once this connection is made, you will receive your latest measurement results each time you first let your Fitbit app sync and then open the BioRICS Mindstretch app and press the sync circle at the right top of the Daily graph screen. The app automatically updates the data every hour.

CAN I AUTOMATE THE SYNCING OF THE FITBIT and MINDSTRETCH APPS?

Yes! Go to the “Settings” of your phone. Then follow the steps for either an Android or Apple phone:

– Android: select “wifi” or “wifi & mobile data”, then go to “Apps”, click on “auto launch”, next press the Fitbit and the Mindstretch app icons.

– iPhone: select “General”, then “refresh in the background”, activate “wifi” or “wifi & mobile data” and next press the Fitbit and the Mindstretch app icons.

These apps will now remain active on the background.

WHICH External factors impact the measurement results?

In some specific situations, the system is unable to clearly distinguish the mental component. These are:

  • environmental temperature change e.g. lying in the sun
  • change of height e.g. being in the mountains. Heart rate increase is due to reduced oxygen in the air
  • use of medication which can cause fluctuations in heart rate
  • eating/drinking: energy used for digestion
  • doing a physical activity that does not require many/any steps such as working in the garden (especially the hands are moving) or cycling (legs are moving).

HOW DOES BIORICS Mindstretch differ from other stress measurement apps or devices?

Most stress measurement apps are based on the measurement of Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Literature studies have made clear that there is no strong correlation between HRV and the stress component, especially when someone is moving or performing a physical activity. BioRICS Mindstretch uses a different scientific method as it measures the energy used by the brain for mental activities (of which stress can be responsible for higher mental load). The BioRICS method has been validated in several peer reviewed studies.

is a daily balance score under 50% negative?

No, a balance score which is lower than 50% just tells you that you consumed more mental energy than what you have regained. This result is not necessarily negative or bad as some days are just more intense than others. More important is to keep track of the monthly overview. It is recommended to have a least 5 ‘green’ days in one month.

Is aN ORANGE peak of 100% bad or wrong?

No, it can be perfectly OK to have such a high percentage of energy use when you are in a specific situation, i.e. when having to deal with several urgent tasks that require your attention at the same moment or when you are in a frightening situation. The height of the peak will depend on the kind of person you are as every person is unique and will respond in a different way.

I noticed a high peak of energy use although I felt relaxed

The user’s perception is not always identical to what the body experiences. A peak of energy use can be due to a positive or a negative event or emotion. High energy use peaks occur for example when socializing with friends, watching an exciting movie or cooking a dinner. These events and emotions, even when positive, do require energy from body and mind and are therefore not necessarily creating recovery.

I have a normal heart rate which is rather high. Will this influence the monitoring results?

BioRICS Mindstretch uses individualised algorithms, which means that the system will continuously adapt to your body and refine its information. As it will have to get to know you, the monitoring results of the first 2-3 days might not be 100% accurate yet. After day 3, you can fully rely on the results shown.

WHAT DO THE MORNING SCORES OF SLEEP AND BALANCE TELL ME?

The balance score you see when getting up in the morning tells you how much energy was recovered during the night. However, even if you had a full “green” line in your night’s graph without any orange peaks, this does not always mean that your night’s recovery was perfect. The quality of your sleep also has an important influence on the level of your overall recovery. Different combinations are possible:

• your balance score is high but your sleep score is low: your sleep quality was not good which is reflected in a low sleep score. However, as you did not use any energy overnight (no orange peaks), your body was still able to catch good recovery levels and you start the day with a high balance score.

•Your balance score is low and your sleepscore is also low: your sleep quality was not good and on top of this, you were not able to recover well enough. Most probably, your night’s overview will also show orange peaks, reason why your balance score is  low. You will be more tired at the start of your day.

• Your balance score is high and your sleep score is also high: this is the ideal scenario. You had a good quality of sleep AND high recovery levels which boosted your balance score. You are fit for a perfect day!

MY NIGHT WAS ORANGE BUT I HAVE THE FEELING I SLEPT WELL. CAN YOU EXPLAIN?

Maybe you have done some intense sports the previous day.  If this is the case, your body will need time to recover physically. Consequently, this can have an impact on your mental recovery the following night.  Even if you have the feeling that you slept well, your body will still be busy with its physical recovery. Because of this ‘compensation behaviour’, your daily graph will show more orange because the mental tasks will require more effort.

An orange night may also be caused by external factors such as fever or alcohol use. These might not have a mental cause but result in higher energy use overall due to which the night’s recovery will be postponed.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO WHEN MY DAILY BALANCE IS 0%?

Many users see the balance percentage as an equivalent for the battery percentage.  This is true only for the long term. If the daily balance score is 0%, this means that only for that day, mental energy use has been very high compared to the recovery of that day. The body has enough reserves though to handle this situation unless this pattern persists over a longer period of time. In this latter case, the body is unable to recover and finally a health problem will occur. When daily scores remain low, one should consider contacting a professional coach or caregiver who can offer the necessary support to bring the balance scores back to normal.