FAQ
Vitalab provides physiological and psychological insights into the user's health using heart pulse wave analysis. The pulse wave is measured with the phone's camera or using third-party sensors such as Polar OH1 or Verity Sense. The core health metric of Vitalab is called Energy Balance.
Vitalab is the only platform to provide Eastern medicine health metrics, essentially based on Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine. Based on the measurement results, Vitalab gives lifestyle recommendations.
Vitalab can be used by physiotherapists and psychotherapists using the mindful breathing biofeedback feature.
An Energy Balance, which is around 0% on average over several days or weeks, is healthy. An Energy Balance of -100% is a completely relaxed state; 100% indicates high stress. Illnesses result from residing close to these two states for too long (weeks, for example). In either case, it can result in severe diseases such as stroke, heart failure, burnout if over-stressed, and lymphatic disorders, distress, or depression if over-relaxed.
Our body and mind are constantly in a dynamic balance, oscillating between relaxation and stress. This is normal and healthy. In Western medicine, it is called hemodynamics. Eastern cultures, and especially medicines, have a similar concept called Balance. Maintaining or recovering a balance between extreme stress and relaxation is a healthy habit. Vitalab measures your state of Energy Balance from your heart pulse wave rhythms and shapes.
Measuring your Vitals, Qi, or Prana metrics allows you to master your life better and use mindful breathing biofeedback to rebalance your energies.
Vitalab maps your Energy Balance (EB) across time on a circular calendar — every day, every month, every year.
Each day is color-coded by average EB: deep blue marks total relaxation (−100%), deep red marks extreme stress (+100%), and green anchors the balanced state at 0%.
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The central radar is your Life Compass — a 7-day rolling average of your EB that surfaces your current trend and suggests concrete actions for the days ahead.
Below, the weekly panel tracks three physiological markers across Monday–Sunday: heart rate (HR, bpm), heart rate variability (HRV, ms), and heart–brain–breathing synchrony (Sync, %). Each metric is normalized to a common scale (÷160) so all three remain visually comparable and meaningful at a glance.
To explore the raw session-level values for any metric, tap the menu icon (☰) at the top of the screen beside My History.
My History displays the full log of your recorded sessions — timestamp, duration, and the device used (built-in camera or external Bluetooth sensor). A summary bar at the top shows your total session count alongside grand-average values for HR, HRV, and Sync.
The two arrows beside the My History title manage your data: the up arrow exports all session records, and the down arrow imports them.
⚠️ The bin icon permanently deletes all recordings. This action cannot be undone.
The compatible Bluetooth sensors are OH1 and Verity Sense from Polar.
OH1 and Verity Sense must first be switched on and placed on the upper arm or held in your hand while putting the finger on it for better accuracy. Then, in the Vitalab App's menu, choose My SATHeart device, and then click Bluetooth sensor and the lens icon. Choose Polar OH1 or Sense and click CONNECT. Come back to the main screen. You are all set!
Vitalab can record your heart pulse wave from your phone camera. This is the default mode. When you start any measurement (Minilab, Breathe, Qi, Prana), the flashlight on your phone is switched on. Put your finger on a camera (not the flash) and check if it turns red (this is your blood color). You can also choose an ad-hoc camera using the blue square beside the Go button. Choose the camera that is closest to the flash. You can check if your measurement is of good quality.
Vitalab measures your vital parameters, which vary very slowly, such as your breathing rhythm, which takes about 10 seconds for a complete cycle of inhaling and exhaling. Vitalab needs a minimum of 4 cycles, which means about 40 seconds to measure this. Your heart rhythms vary at different frequencies; the lowest lasts about 10 to 15 seconds. Overall, a minimum of 60 seconds is needed to estimate your Vitals (see the FAQ entry - What are the meanings of the Minilab metrics? - for more details.
Minilab is the backbone of the App. It measures five different physiological parameters:
- HR: Your Heart Rate measured in beats per minute. This is how many beats your heart does in one minute. Usually, a low heart rate is a sign of a relaxed state
- HRV: Your Heart Rate Variability in milliseconds. This measures how your heart rhythm varies in amplitude. Usually, big amplitudes point to a healthy heart and mind
- BR: Your Breathing rate in cycles per minute. This is how fast or slow you are breathing. Normally, a low heart rate correlates with a relaxed attitude
- BRV: This is the Breathing Rate Variability. This measures how your breathing rhythm varies in amplitude. Usually, big amplitudes point to a restless heart and mind,
- SYNC: This is how regular your heart rhythm is. When relaxed, your heart and brain communicate well together and indicate a relaxed state of mind.
Breathing is life. We breathe spontaneously, but generally, this breathing is shallow and irregular. When we breathe consciously at a regular pace, we tend to increase our HRV and SYNC, which leads our state of mind towards a relaxed state. Conscious Breathing exercises increase your resilience to mental stress or emotional imbalances. You can reconnect your brain and heart by practicing mindful breathing for 5 to 10 minutes. Mindful breathing biofeedback is used regularly in hospitals.
Qi is the vital energy that pervades your body. A healthy body and mind have a Qi flow that circulates freely. Increasing your Qi is beneficial for maintaining good health. Qi is influenced by and influences the four elements, which are commonly referred to as Earth, water, Fire, and Wind.
- Earth: is the element of stability. Increased Earth is a sign of mind relaxation and healthy habits. Too much Earth can lead to a state of sleepiness or even depression,
- Water: is the element of cohesion. Elevated Water is a sign of good Qi circulation and ease of socialization,
- Fire: is the heating element linked to your metabolism and corresponds to transformation (nutrients into energy - ATP - for example). Increased Fire allows easy digestion and generates a mental state of creativity but can also turn into anger
- Wind: is the element of movement. Wind is the essential feature that allows your body to move and is the source of mental activity. Too much Wind results in worries or even a state of anxiety.
Prana is similar to Qi. Prana is the Vital ingredient that makes you live. Depleted Prana can lead to a cessation of life. In Indo-Tibetan culture, three energies, called Doshas and Humors, respectively, govern and are controlled by Prana: Vata-rLung, Pitta-Tripa, and Kapha-Beken.
Your Constitution or Typology is governed by these three energies from birth to the end of life.
- Kapha-Beken: governs stability, structure, and fluid balance
- Pitta-Tripa: governs metabolism, digestion, and transformation,
- Vata-rLung: governs movement in general, such as your nervous system activities and blood flow, as well as your body,
Many people are unfamiliar with Qi, Prana, the Elements, and Doshas or Humors. These Eastern concepts correlate well with Western medicinal systems, and many studies show the correspondence between Eastern and Western medicines and philosophies. SATHeart devoted more than 15 years to studying these correspondences, for which Vitalab is a witness. Please visit our Blog and Science corners, which constantly provide you with News about this topic.
Your data are temporarily stored on our cloud for analysis. The analysis results are securely transmitted via the internet to your phone for real-time display. The transmitted data is not stored on the phone.
The sensor, either the phone camera or the third-party wearable, transmits the data to our cloud via an encryption mechanism so nobody can access it. The processed data is then securely transmitted to your phone via the same encryption technique.