Apple iOS 8 Healthbook: Heart Rate, Hydration, Blood Sugar, Sleep Patterns

Several versions of Healthbook are currently in testing at Apple with a truly grand vision of the future of health and fitness via iDevices, according to a new leak featuring “complete recreations of screenshots.”

Mark Gurman of 9to5mac has been talking to his sources again regarding the progress made by Apple with its rumored Healthbook app which, at this point, seems all but confirmed.

Flashing a number of assorted images created based on actual screenshots, Gurman details each category of functionality in the Healthbook app, which looks a lot like the Passbook app.

“Cards are distinguished by a color, and the tabs can be arranged to fit user preferences […] Healthbook has sections that can track data pertaining to bloodwork, heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and weight,” Gurman confirms.

This is big news! Previously it was only rumored – and with a very low degree of certainty – that Healthbook would track things like glucose levels and hydration levels, but it seems Apple indeed has such plans on the table for 2014.

Most of these sensors are expected to be not in a new iPhone, but in the much-rumored iWatch, a wearable computer that will reportedly integrate seamlessly with other iDevices (iPhone, iPad) through a wireless connection (i.e. Bluetooth).

Healthbook’s fitness tracking module will allegedly include Activity, Weight, and Nutrition, tracking the user’s steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked. Blood monitoring will have subsections like Bloodwork, Oxygen Saturation, and Blood Sugar.

It may not sound like a big deal to have a device that checks your glucose levels on demand, but statistics from the American Diabetes Association show that around 26 million people in the US have diabetes. It is projected that 1 in 3 adults will have diabetes by the year 2050, if current trends continue.

For these people, tracking their blood sugar is a nightmare, according to Joe Madden, the creator of blood sugar monitoring application Gluco-Share.

Madden tells Gurman that “Type 1 diabetics check their glucose levels approximately six times per day. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetics test their blood perhaps only a few times per week.” He reportedly added that “Apple’s entry into the market could create significant improvements in the lives of diabetics.”

Also as rumored before, Healthbook will be able to track the user’s sleep patterns. The details about this feature are scarce, but Apple is known to have hired sleep tracking expert Roy Raymann, whose research focuses on sleep patterns, sleep quality, and alertness, according to Gurman.

Finally, Healthbook will reportedly have an Emergency Card that holds important information about the customer – “name, birthdate, medication information, weight, eye color, blood type, organ donor status, and location” – all things that can come in handy if the person becomes incapacitated. The Emergency Card will also have emergency contact information.