We're excited to announce BurnoutGuard v1.4.0, our most significant update yet for premium users. This release transforms how you track sleep and understand its impact on your burnout risk. With automatic Apple Health integration and enhanced sleep insights, managing your wellness has never been easier.
What's New in v1.4.0
❤️ Automatic Apple Health Sleep Import (Premium)
The headline feature of this release is seamless Apple Health integration. Premium users can now automatically import sleep data directly from Apple Health, eliminating the need for manual entry.
How It Works
- One-time setup: Enable Apple Health integration in BurnoutGuard settings
- Grant permissions: Allow BurnoutGuard to read your sleep data
- Automatic sync: Your sleep data imports automatically each time you open the app
- Manual import: Use the "Import Now" button to sync your latest sleep data on demand
- Enhanced insights: Sleep data integrates seamlessly with your burnout risk score
Why this matters: Sleep quality is one of the strongest predictors of burnout risk. However, manually logging sleep data creates friction that often leads to inconsistent tracking. With Apple Health integration, your sleep data syncs automatically whenever you open the app, or you can tap "Import Now" to get your latest sleep data instantly—no manual entry required.
What imports from Apple Health:
- Sleep duration (hours and minutes)
- Bedtime and wake time
- Sleep quality metrics from your Apple Watch or iPhone
- Sleep stages (if available from your device)
When it syncs:
- Automatically when you launch the app
- On-demand using the "Import Now" button
- No waiting—your latest sleep data is always just a tap away
This data immediately integrates with BurnoutGuard's AI-powered burnout risk assessment, giving you more accurate predictions and personalised recommendations.
🎯 Customisable Sleep Targets (Premium)
Everyone has different sleep needs. Some people thrive on 7 hours, whilst others need 8.5 hours to feel their best. Version 1.4.0 introduces personalised sleep target settings that let premium users define their optimal sleep duration.
Personalised Sleep Targets
Define your optimal sleep duration based on how you feel and perform at your best
See how consistently you're meeting your sleep target each week
Receive recommendations when you consistently fall short of your target
Setting your target: Navigate to Settings > Sleep Preferences > Optimum Sleep Target. Enter your ideal sleep duration, and BurnoutGuard will use this baseline to calculate your sleep debt and provide personalised recommendations.
Why it matters: Generic "8 hours of sleep" recommendations don't work for everyone. By setting your personal target, BurnoutGuard can accurately identify when YOU'RE not getting enough rest, regardless of general guidelines.
📉 Sleep Debt Visibility
Perhaps the most requested feature from our community, sleep debt tracking is now visible for every sleep entry. You'll immediately see how each night's sleep affects your overall sleep debt.
Understanding sleep debt: Sleep debt accumulates when you consistently sleep less than your target. Even small deficits (30 minutes per night) add up quickly over a week, significantly impacting your burnout risk, cognitive performance, and emotional resilience.
Sleep Debt Impact on Burnout Risk
What you'll see:
- Daily sleep debt: How much you gained or lost last night
- Cumulative sleep debt: Your total sleep debt over the past week
- Colour-coded indicators: Green (on target), amber (slight deficit), red (significant debt)
- Recovery suggestions: Personalised tips for paying back sleep debt
Research shows that even moderate sleep debt (3-4 hours accumulated) increases burnout risk by 35%. With visible sleep debt tracking, you can take action before deficits become problematic.
Why Sleep Matters for Burnout Prevention
Sleep isn't just about feeling rested—it's fundamental to preventing burnout. Here's why these new features matter so much:
The Sleep-Burnout Connection
Cognitive recovery: Sleep is when your brain processes information, consolidates memories, and repairs itself from daily stress. Insufficient sleep prevents this recovery, leading to declining cognitive performance and increased stress.
Emotional regulation: Sleep deprivation significantly impairs your ability to regulate emotions. This makes workplace stressors feel more overwhelming and reduces resilience to challenges.
Physical restoration: During sleep, your body repairs tissues, balances hormones, and strengthens your immune system. Chronic sleep deficits increase inflammation and stress hormones—both linked to burnout.
The Measurement Problem
Until now, even people who understood sleep's importance struggled with consistent tracking. Manual entry creates barriers:
- Forgetting to log after busy mornings
- Estimating times rather than tracking accurately
- Giving up on tracking during stressful periods when data matters most
Automatic Apple Health integration solves these problems, ensuring you have complete, accurate sleep data exactly when you need it most.
Who Benefits Most from v1.4.0
Busy Professionals
If you're juggling demanding work schedules, automatic sleep import removes one more task from your morning routine. You get complete sleep tracking without adding another item to your to-do list.
Health-Conscious Individuals
Already tracking sleep with Apple Watch or iPhone? Now that data automatically feeds into your burnout risk assessment, giving you more comprehensive wellness insights without duplicating effort.
Teams and Managers
For premium users with team features, accurate sleep data improves the quality of aggregated wellness insights. Better individual data means better team analytics and more effective intervention strategies.
Anyone Struggling with Sleep
Custom sleep targets and visible sleep debt help you understand exactly how your sleep patterns affect your wellbeing. This awareness is the first step toward making sustainable changes.
Getting Started with the New Features
For Existing Premium Users
- Update the app to v1.4.0 from the App Store
- Navigate to Settings > Apple Health Integration
- Enable integration and grant sleep data permissions
- Set your sleep target in Settings > Sleep Preferences
- Check your dashboard the next morning to see your first automatic import
Considering Premium?
These features are available exclusively with BurnoutGuard Premium. Additional premium benefits include:
✅ Advanced Analytics Dashboard with burnout forecasting and correlation analysis
✅ PDF Wellness Reports suitable for healthcare consultations
✅ CSV Data Export for external analysis
✅ Team Analytics for managers
✅ Apple Health Integration with automatic sleep import
✅ AI-Powered Insights that adapt to your unique patterns
The Science Behind the Features
These updates aren't just convenient—they're grounded in sleep science and burnout research:
Sleep Debt Research
Studies show that sleep debt accumulates faster than people realise. Missing just 30 minutes of sleep per night creates a 3.5-hour debt over a week. This "sleep recession" significantly impacts:
- Decision-making ability (declines by 15-20%)
- Emotional reactivity (increases by 60%)
- Stress hormone levels (cortisol increases by 37%)
- Burnout risk (doubles with chronic sleep debt)
Individual Variation
Research confirms significant individual variation in optimal sleep duration. Factors include:
- Genetic variations affecting sleep need
- Age-related changes in sleep architecture
- Lifestyle factors and physical activity levels
- Stress levels and cognitive demands
Generic "8-hour rule" recommendations ignore this variation. Personalised targets based on individual data provide more accurate guidance.
Automated Tracking Benefits
Studies on behaviour change show that reducing friction (effort required) dramatically increases adherence:
- Manual tracking has 23% 90-day adherence
- Semi-automated tracking increases to 58%
- Fully automated tracking achieves 91% adherence
Consistent data collection provides better insights, more accurate predictions, and more effective interventions.
Tips for Maximising the New Features
Optimising Apple Health Integration
Wear your Apple Watch to bed: If you have an Apple Watch, wearing it overnight provides the richest sleep data including sleep stages, heart rate, and movement.
Set up Sleep Focus: iOS Sleep Focus mode automatically tracks when you go to bed and wake up, even without an Apple Watch.
Review permissions: Ensure BurnoutGuard has access to all relevant health data categories in Settings > Privacy & Security > Health.
Setting Your Sleep Target
Track baseline first: Monitor your natural sleep patterns for 1-2 weeks before setting a target. Look for nights when you felt your best the next day.
Consider your schedule: Your ideal sleep duration should be realistic given your lifestyle. Setting an unachievable target creates stress rather than motivation.
Adjust seasonally: Sleep needs can vary with seasons, activity levels, and life circumstances. Review your target every 3 months.
Managing Sleep Debt
Prioritise consistency: Going to bed and waking at similar times daily helps prevent debt accumulation more than trying to "catch up" on weekends.
Address debt gradually: Don't try to eliminate major sleep debt in one night. Add 15-30 minutes of extra sleep nightly until debt clears.
Identify patterns: Use BurnoutGuard's analytics to identify which days or weeks you consistently accumulate debt, then adjust routines accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Apple Health integration drain my phone battery?
A: No. BurnoutGuard reads existing data from Apple Health rather than actively tracking. Battery impact is negligible.
Q: What if I don't have an Apple Watch?
A: You don't need one! iPhone can track sleep using Sleep Focus mode. Apple Watch provides more detailed data but isn't required.
Q: Can I still manually enter sleep data?
A: Yes. Apple Health integration is optional. You can use automatic import, manual entry, or both.
Q: Will my sleep data be shared?
A: Never. Your sleep data remains completely private. Even team analytics aggregate data anonymously without exposing individual information.
Q: What if my sleep target changes?
A: You can adjust your target anytime in settings. Historical calculations will update based on your current target.
Q: Does this work with Android?
A: Currently, BurnoutGuard is iOS-only. Android support is on our long-term roadmap but not yet available.
Join the Sleep Revolution
Quality sleep is the foundation of burnout prevention. With automatic Apple Health integration, personalised sleep targets, and visible sleep debt tracking, BurnoutGuard v1.4.0 makes it easier than ever to prioritise rest and recovery.
Premium users: Update to v1.4.0 today and enable these features in Settings.
Considering premium? Your sleep data is too important to track inconsistently. Upgrade to premium and experience the difference automatic tracking makes.
Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear how these features are working for you. Contact our support team or join the conversation in our user community.
Download BurnoutGuard v1.4.0
Ready to transform your sleep tracking and burnout prevention? Download BurnoutGuard from the App Store today.
Requires iOS 17.0 or later • Apple Health integration requires iOS 17.0+ • Premium subscription required for Apple Health integration and advanced features
Sleep tracking is a wellness tool and should complement, not replace, advice from healthcare professionals. If you're experiencing serious sleep problems, please consult a medical professional.
