Many Apple Watch users attribute life-saving experiences to their devices, especially in health emergencies. However, for Whole Foods founder John Mackey, it was the insights from his Apple Watch that significantly enhanced his lifestyle.
This week, Business Insider reported that John Mackey made the decision to quit drinking three years ago, influenced in large part by the data from his Apple Watch.
“I wish I’d stopped drinking 30 years ago,” Mackey reflected. “That’s 30 years of feeling good that I let go past.”
He acknowledged that the Apple Watch played a crucial role in his choice to eliminate alcohol from his life permanently.
“I was monitoring my sleep, noticing some nights I slept well and other nights I didn’t,” he explained. “This led me to question, ‘What was different on nights when I didn’t sleep well?’”
By utilizing sleep tracking features on the Apple Watch and analyzing his habits, Mackey realized that engaging in more physical activity and refraining from large meals before bedtime resulted in improved sleep quality. The most significant finding, however, was related to the absence of deep sleep, which the Apple Watch highlighted.
Mackey also discussed his journey in an interview on the PLANTSTRONG podcast last year. He mentioned AutoSleep, the app he employed to monitor his sleep, stating:
“It [Apple Watch] transformed my life. It helped me quit alcohol over two years ago.” […] “I have an app on the Apple Watch called AutoSleep, which tracks my sleep.
I wear my watch to bed and charge it when I wake up.
I’ve gained so much knowledge from it, as it not only reports on the duration of my sleep but also its quality and the depth of my sleep. I discovered that after even one beer or one glass of wine, my deep sleep would vanish completely. My total sleep duration would decrease by about an hour.
I conducted numerous experiments because I genuinely enjoyed drinking and was reluctant to give it up. But the evidence was undeniable: every single time I drank, I would experience no deep sleep. This led me to consider, perhaps I should just stop drinking.
Then it became a matter of choice: do I want good sleep, or do I want a drink? For more than two years, I’ve chosen to prioritize sleep. While I might still be open to the idea of having a drink at some point, that desire hasn’t yet resurfaced.”
Enhanced sleep translates to a better quality of life, and for John Mackey, the Apple Watch’s sleep tracking feature revealed crucial insights that undeniably assisted him in improving his well-being.
Sleep tracking is now an integrated feature on the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are also equipped to identify potential signs of sleep apnea.
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