On April 24, Apple is celebrating ten years of Activity rings on Apple Watches. Thus, it encourages all Apple Watch users globally to close all three of their Activity rings on that day.
If you do, you will earn a special Global Close Your Rings Day limited-edition award, as well as ten animated stickers and an animated badge for Messages. You can also obtain a special pin inspired by the award starting on April 24 at all Apple Stores worldwide, while supplies last.
A new analysis of data contributed by more than 140,000 participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study has identified positive associations between the closure of Activity rings and “aspects of sleep, heart health, and mental wellbeing”, the company says. These associations were “consistent across men and women, and across all age groups”.
Relative to people who “infrequently closed their Activity rings”, people who closed their rings “most of the time” were 48% less likely to experience poor sleep quality (defined as waking up frequently during the night), 73% less likely to experience elevated resting heart rate levels, and 57% less likely to report elevated stress (as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale-4, a four-item questionnaire designed to assess an individual’s perception of their stress levels).
Of course, all of this obviously has to do with the fact that the people who are most likely to close their rings often are those who are most likely to have a more active lifestyle in the first place – the rings aren’t magic. But, if you are committed to your health and fitness goals, they can be a useful companion in your journey.
