Apps for Pacing

Apps for Pacing and General Illness Management

To record and track metrics like symptoms, energy, sleep, medications, and biometrics

Note: The information here is from product websites, user reviews and articles, and should be current as of April 1, 2024.

Back to "Biometrics, Measurement Devices and Tracking Apps"

Apps

Apps require a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Some apps exist entirely to work with specific measurement devices (like the app that comes with a heart rate monitor or with the Oura Ring).

Other apps work on their own and require user input. Some of these (such as the Apple Health app or Visible) can integrate with one or more other devices (like heart rate monitors) or apps (like Calm), allowing more integrated data.

Here we list a few apps that keep coming up from our ME/CFS and Long COVID communities, but there are many more you can find online.

To see more detail on all
of these apps, see here.

Apps that measure or track heart rate (and usually Heart Rate Variability or HRV)

Visible
(Apple and Android)

Probably the most popular app designed specifically for energy-limiting illnesses. Helps patients monitor and manage their condition. Measures and tracks HRV. Tracks symptoms, medications, crashes and more.

WatchME
(works on iPhone/Apple Watch)

An app intended for people with ME/CFS that helps you pace and stay within your energy envelope. Includes heart rate and some activities, but not Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

Welltory
(Apple and Android)

This app focusses on stress and wellness, but is not specifically designed for people with chronic illnesses: “No kidding my “body doesn’t handle stress well!’” said one Long COVID user, who did, however, like the app overall.

Elite HRV
(Apple and Android)

This app is a popular choice for tracking HRV and gaining insights into your health, stress, and nervous system balance. The “coaching and education programs” it offers are, however, geared to healthy individuals.

Apps that allow you to track symptoms, energy, activity, mood, sleep and/or medications, but do not integrate biometrics

Symple

(apple; free and Premium versions)

Bearable

(Apple and Android; free and subscription versions)

2 well-reviewed symptom tracker and health diary apps.

ME/CFS Pacing

This app, specifically for ME/CFS, is similar to Symple and Bearable in that it is a journaling/tracking style app.

General Health and Fitness Apps

Apps such as Apple’s Health app (that works best if you have the Apple Watch), Google Fit, or the Fitbit app (that works with the Fitbit wrist band) are meant for everyone to track biometrics and health. They usually focus on increasing exercise and seeing health improvements.

For people with ME/CFS or Long COVID, these can be very good, very helpful apps if used appropriately (to pace and manage your illness). However, because they are designed for healthy people, they are often difficult to apply well and can be disheartening for people with significant energy limits.

For more detail on all of these apps, see here.

Everyone is different - find what works for you. You may even decide you prefer paper-based and manual biometric measurement and symptom tracking… or prefer no formal tracking at all!