CuesHub, a high-tech startup born out of biosignal AI research at the mDOT Center, helps people track the impact of mental exhaustion on their hearts via Workload Heart Rate.
When our heart works harder during exercise, that effort strengthens the heart and improves health. But when it works harder to meet mental demands, most of that energy goes unused, leading to low-grade inflammation — a key contributor to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Mental exhaustion can cause the heart to remain mildly elevated for extended periods, without the cleansing or strengthening benefits of exercise.
The good news is that anyone with an Apple Watch can use the CuesHub app to check their Workload Heart Rate. The good news is that elevated Workload HR can be reduced, reversing the health impact of mental exhaustion. Research shows that lowering our resting heart rate by just one beat per minute can reduce our risk of premature death by up to 3%. Because our workload heart rate (the one we feel during mental load) has an even bigger impact, improving it could mean even greater health benefits.
Many early users of the CuesHub app (including executives, entrepreneurs, techies, doctors, nurses, and students) with elevated Workload Heart Rate have reduced it by 10 beats per minute within a few weeks. They learned which tasks or meetings drained them the most and which activities helped them relax. They reduced their mental exhaustion by taking quick breaks when the app predicted that they were likely to overexert themselves.
The CuesHub app is not another stress tracking app. Stress evolved to keep our ancestors safe. Today, stress helps us succeed in academics, career, and relationships. When does it harm rather than help? How would you know?
Each of us has a capacity for how much and which kind of stress we can safely manage. When it becomes too much, it begins to adversely affect our health. Over time, its accumulated impact shows up in symptoms and diseases. The CuesHub app helps people know when too much stress begins to adversely impact their health and reverse it.
The new CuesHub app is currently available for Apple Watches, with additional device support forthcoming.
CuesHub, PBC: CuesHub was founded in 2022 by Dr. Santosh Kumar, Director of the mDOT Center, and Dr. Tim Hnat, former mDOT Center Chief Software Architect & Deputy Director. As a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), CuesHub’s mission is to help people live not only longer, but live longer disease-free.
Learn more at cueshub.com.