iOS 16 Health and Fitness Updates: Medication Tracking, Sleep Stages, iPhone Activity Tracking and More

The new medication management feature in the Health app is designed to allow users to keep track of their medications so they don't miss a dose. It's useful for everything from prescriptions to vitamins, thanks to the feature on the Apple watch.

Everything you need to know about the medication tracking feature is covered in this guide.

Medication Tracking

The Health app has a new section called "Medications" that can be accessed by scrolling down to it or typing it into the search bar.

You can enter all of the prescription medications, over the counter medications, and vitamins in the app so you can get reminders to take medicine, check for interactions, and more.

It's easy to add a medication with the Health app. You can type in a medicine's name or use your phone's camera to take a picture of the bottle's label. Scan doesn't always pick up all the information, so you may need to manually select the dose and form.

You can decide when you take the medication. You can set the time that you want to take the medication by choosing a specific day or interval of days.

To match the pill you take in real life, you can change the shape and color of the medication.

All of your medications and vitamins can be added to the Health app.

Medication Reminders

When you add your medication to the Health app you'll get a notification when it's time to take it. In the Health app, you can get notifications for all of the medications.

Unless you change the settings, medication notifications will be delivered at your specified time.

Automatic notifications are given for all medications that have a set time and day.

Medication Logging

You can mark a medication as "taken" or " Skipped" when a reminder notification pops up. If you have more than one medication scheduled for the same time, you can use the Mark All as Taken option. The medication list can be entered into the health app.

You can use the Health app to see if you're taking your medication regularly. You can see the data in chronological order.

You will be able to see how often you have taken a medication in your health summary by Apple.

Apple Watch Medication App

You can use theMedications app in watchOS 9 to log quicker. If you want to get to them all at once, you can use the "Log All as Taken" option. You have the option to skip a dose.

All medication management needs to be done in the Health app in order to be marked on the Apple watch.

Medication Interactions

The Health app checks to make sure that the medications you are taking don't interact with one another, so that you don't take a combination of medications that could be dangerous.

If you choose the "Side Effects" button, you can see the side effects of the medicine if it's available.

Not all drugs have side effects listed, and the information is provided by a Netherlands-based company that specializes in medical content.

Export Medications

The "Export Medications List PDF" option is located in theMedications section of the Health app. This list can be shared with a doctor.

Sleep Features

For people who wear the Apple Watch to sleep, watchOS 9 and iOS 16 bring new features. The Awake, REM, Core, and Deep sleep categories are what the Apple Watch tracks, so you can see how well you slept.

How long it takes you to fall asleep, how often you wake up, and how much sleep you get will be tracked by the Apple Watch.

Different sleep categories are defined by Apple.

• Awake - You may find yourself awake during parts of a sleep session. It's normal for people to wake up on occasion. It's possible that you will fall right back to sleep and not remember waking up during the night.
• REM - This stage of sleep may play a role in learning and memory. During this stage, your muscles are the most relaxed and your eyes move rapidly from side to side. This is also when most of your dreams occur.
• Core - Sometimes referred to as light sleep, this stage is considered just as important as the others. This stage often represents most of your time asleep each night. Brain waves that may be important for cognition occur during this stage.
• Deep - Also known as slow wave sleep because of the brain wave patterns, this is the stage where body tissues are repaired and essential hormones are released. This stage typically happens in longer periods during the first half of your sleep session.

The sleep data can be found in the "Sleep" section of the health app. You can drill down into your sleep quality on a day by day basis thanks to the fact that sleep data can now be viewed by day.

The function of Sleep is the same as before. The Bedtime and Wake Up features are tied to the Wind Down and Sleep Focus options.

Health Sharing Invitations

It's easy to keep track of the health information of elderly family members or children if you invite them to share their data with you in iOS 16. The person can choose which data to give you once they receive an invitation.

Fitness Activity Tracking

You need an Apple Watch to use the Fitness app, but that's not the case in the newer version of the software.

The fitness app can be used to track activity levels. The iPhone can estimate steps, distance walked, and third-party workouts to show you how many calories you've burned.

You're limited to a daily Move goal if you don't have an apple watch.

Guide Feedback

If you have questions about the new Health and Fitness features, know of a feature we left out, or would like to offer feedback on this guide, please contact us. We'd love to receive an email here.