Vitals
Vitals in LifeWell is the surface where you log the everyday measurements a clinician or fitness coach would ask you to track — blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, body mass index, weight, and height. Every entry is a manual input you type in (LifeWell does not pair with cuffs, glucometers, smartwatches, or scales), and every entry is timestamped, stored under your userId, and graphed alongside its trend.
Each vital is its own page so you only see the inputs that apply, and each page surfaces the standard reference cutoffs (ACC/AHA categories for blood pressure, ADA cutoffs for blood sugar, etc.) so a reading isn't just a number floating in the void.
What you can log
| Vital | Inputs | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | Systolic, diastolic, optional pulse, optional "medication taken" flag | mmHg | Validation range: systolic 50–250, diastolic 30–150 |
| Blood sugar | Glucose, optional insulin dose, meal-type context | mg/dl or mmol/L | Validation range: 20–600 mg/dl |
| Heart rate | BPM + activity context (resting, walking, exercising, etc.) | bpm | Tagged "Bradycardia" / "Normal" / "Tachycardia" when activity is "resting" |
| BMI | Weight + height (metric or imperial input, normalised to kg/cm) | kg/m² (computed) | Auto-calculates BMI and category from the inputs |
| Weight | Weight only | kg or lb | Tracked separately from BMI for users who don't want height each time |
| Height | Height only | cm or ft-in | One-time per growth-stage reading |
You can switch metric ↔ imperial per-vital under Preferences → Units — defaults are metric, but the BMI form has its own toggle for users who only think in pounds and inches.
Blood pressure categories
LifeWell labels each reading using the ACC/AHA 2017 categories — the same cutoffs every modern home BP monitor uses:
| Category | Systolic (mmHg) | Diastolic (mmHg) |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | < 120 | and < 80 |
| Elevated | 120–129 | and < 80 |
| Hypertension Stage 1 | 130–139 | or 80–89 |
| Hypertension Stage 2 | ≥ 140 | or ≥ 90 |
| Hypertensive Crisis | ≥ 180 | or ≥ 120 |
A "Hypertensive Crisis" reading triggers prominent on-screen text recommending you seek medical attention. That is informational, not a clinical assessment.
For "medication taken" tracking, the form has a checkbox you tick when you log a reading right after taking a prescribed BP medication — the trend chart shades those entries differently so you can see whether your control is improving on the regimen.
Blood sugar context tags
A glucose reading without context (fasting? after lunch? bedtime?) is hard to interpret. The blood-sugar form requires a meal-type tag, chosen from:
- Fasting
- Before breakfast / After breakfast (2 hours)
- Before lunch / After lunch (2 hours)
- Before dinner / After dinner (2 hours)
- Bedtime
This lets the trend chart group readings by context so you can see "are my fasting numbers trending up?" instead of one flat noisy line. Insulin dose is optional — type it in when relevant and skip it when not.
Heart rate zones
For "resting" activity, the heart-rate page labels readings:
- Bradycardia when BPM < 60 (note: well-trained athletes routinely sit below 60 — this is a flag, not a diagnosis)
- Normal when BPM is 60–100
- Tachycardia when BPM > 100
For non-resting activity (walking, exercising), no label is applied — the elevated reading is expected.
BMI calculation
BMI is computed locally from your inputs using BMI = weight_kg / (height_m)². Imperial inputs are converted to metric before the calculation:
- 1 lb = 0.453592 kg
- 1 in = 2.54 cm
The standard WHO categories label the result:
| Category | BMI |
|---|---|
| Underweight | < 18.5 |
| Normal | 18.5 – 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25 – 29.9 |
| Obese | ≥ 30 |
BMI is a population-level screening signal — it doesn't distinguish muscle from fat, and it's a poor indicator for very athletic builds. Use it as one input among many, not as the metric.
Weight tracking
The weight surface is separate from BMI because most users want to log weight frequently (daily, weekly) but only re-input height when there's actually a change. Weight entries graph as a line chart; you can switch the chart to weekly or monthly aggregates from the page header.
Reminders for weight default to a weekly ping — daily weighing creates more noise than signal for most people.
Reminders for vitals
Each vital can have its own reminder schedule under Reminders:
| Vital | Suggested cadence |
|---|---|
| Blood pressure | Daily — usually morning + evening per clinician guidance |
| Blood sugar | Per meal — fasting + 2 hours after each meal if your provider asks |
| Heart rate | Weekly (resting); per workout otherwise |
| BMI | Quarterly |
| Weight | Weekly |
| Height | Annually (or never, for adults) |
You override these per-reminder. The defaults are starting points.
Trend charts
Every vital page shows a per-vital trend chart powered by D3.js — entries on the X axis, value on the Y axis. The chart range defaults to 7 days for blood pressure / blood sugar / heart rate (where day-to-day noise matters) and 30 days for weight / BMI (where you want to see the longer slope). You can swap the range from the chart header.
Honest framing
Vitals tracking in LifeWell does not:
- Diagnose conditions. A "Hypertension Stage 2" label means your reading sits in that bracket — it does not mean you have hypertension as a clinical condition. That requires multiple readings under controlled conditions and a clinician's assessment.
- Replace your clinician's records. LifeWell entries are self-reported. Your clinician's records remain the formal medical record.
- Detect trends automatically. The chart shows what you logged; we do not run statistical change-point detection on your data.
- Auto-fill missing days. A gap is a gap.
Frequently asked
Can LifeWell read my Bluetooth BP cuff or glucometer? No. Every entry is typed in manually. Pairing with medical devices is a feature on the long-term roadmap — see Reference → Third-party integrations.
Why does my BMI page say "Normal" while my doctor said I should lose weight? BMI is a screening number; clinical assessment looks at body composition, family history, and many other inputs. The label here is the WHO category for your inputs and nothing more.
Can I export my vitals as a PDF for my doctor? Yes — each vital page has a PDF export from the page header. The export includes the last 30 / 90 / 365 days based on your selection.
What if I want to delete a wrong entry? Tap the entry in the log list, then Delete. The entry is removed from the local store immediately and from Firestore within the next sync (usually seconds).
My pulse on the BP form is optional — is it just decorative? Pulse is captured alongside BP because most home cuffs display it. It's not used in the category labels, but it's stored and graphed on the heart-rate trend chart.
Where to read next
- Water tracking — quick-log hydration.
- Medications — schedules and adherence.
- Medical records — lab results, vaccinations, history.
- Reminders — set per-vital reminder schedules.
Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood
:::note Health information — not medical advice LifeWell and this documentation are provided for general wellness and educational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions about your health, and never disregard or delay professional advice because of something you read here. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services. :::