Healing sounds for busy professionals
A daily pause, built on science
From commute to wind-down, the right sound for the right moment.
Pulse-based recommendations powered by validated HRV research.
Available to employees of contracted companies. For your team? View pricing →
Your day in 10 scenes
Tap a scene to preview, check to add to your playlist.
Three minutes is enough
Short, deep sounds for a quick reset.
Built on science
Brainwave entrainment principles, validated HRV methodology.
One tap away
Automatically recommended for your moment.
SCIENCE-BACKED SOUND DESIGN
Built on brainwave entrainment and autonomic regulation
Pausio's pulse-based recommendations are built on validated heart rate variability methodology.
How Pausio reads your pulse
Read SDNN from Apple Watch
Apple Watch already writes SDNN samples to HealthKit throughout the day. Pausio reads them passively in the background — no extra measurement needed.
Compare to your usual
Your 7-day rolling baseline tells us what's normal for you (Plews et al., 2014).
Recommend a sound
Brainwave-aligned music chosen for your current state.
Built on validated HRV methodology and Open Wearables (MIT licensed) patterns.
References
Gold Standard Measurement
Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (1996)
Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use
Circulation, 93(5), 1043–1065.
→ 5-minute measurement standard
Validated Methodology
Plews, D. J. et al. (2014)
Monitoring training with heart rate-variability: how much compliance is needed for valid assessment?
Int. J. Sports Physiology & Performance, 9(5), 783–790.
→ Ln rMSSD 7-day rolling baseline
Plews, D. J. et al. (2012)
Heart rate variability in elite triathletes — variation in variability
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 112(11), 3729–3741.
→ Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Shaffer, F. & Ginsberg, J. P. (2017)
An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms
Frontiers in Public Health, 5, 258.
→ RMSSD / SDNN definitions and norms
Open Algorithms
Open Wearables (MIT licensed)
Health-scoring algorithm patterns
Validated by Anna Zych, PhD — Max Planck Institute.
→ 0–100 score normalization pattern
Brainwave Entrainment Research
Lane, J. D. et al. (1998)
Binaural auditory beats affect vigilance performance and mood
Physiology & Behavior, 63(2), 249–252.
→ β 14–16 Hz focus situations
Iaccarino, H. F. et al. (2016)
Gamma frequency entrainment attenuates amyloid load and modifies microglia
Nature, 540(7632), 230–235.
→ γ 40 Hz afternoon situation
Garcia-Argibay, M. et al. (2019)
Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis
Psychological Research, 83(2), 357–372.
→ α 10 Hz calm situations
Reedijk, S. A. et al. (2013)
The impact of binaural beats on creativity
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 786.
→ δ 4 Hz pre-sleep situation
Device Validation
PMC (Stein et al.) (2023)
Can heart rate variability data from the Apple Watch electrocardiogram quantify stress?
PMC 10354549.
→ Apple Watch HRV measurement accuracy
Pausio is a wellness tool, not a medical device. These references support our methodology and do not constitute medical claims.
BETTER WITH APPLE WATCH
Most accurate paired with Apple Watch
Pausio reads the SDNN samples your Apple Watch already writes to HealthKit and uses them as your stress index — no extra measurement, just keep wearing your watch.
- Passive SDNN read from HealthKit (no active measurement)
- On-device only — your data never leaves your phone
- Wellness insight, not a medical assessment
FOR TEAMS
Burnout is too late to prevent at the finish line.
76% of US employees experience workplace burnout (Gallup, 2024). Pausio turns the 5 minutes between meetings into a recovery ritual — without exposing individual data to managers.
PREVENT BURNOUT
EAP and therapy come too late. Pausio is a 5-minute daily recovery ritual.
MEETING PRODUCTIVITY
Pre-meeting focus + post-meeting reset reduces cognitive load.
EMPLOYEE PRIVACY
Individual data stays private. Only anonymous team aggregates (5+ people).
Frequently asked questions
Does it actually work?+
Pausio is built on validated HRV methodology (see the Science section above): we read the SDNN samples your Apple Watch already writes to HealthKit, compare against your own 7-day rolling baseline (Plews et al. 2014), and score with patterns from Open Wearables (MIT licensed). The cited Task Force ESC (1996) reference standard for 5-minute SDNN windows informs why SDNN is a credible stress indicator — we don't run our own 5-minute session, we use what your Watch already records. That said, music isn't medicine — think of it as a small daily ritual that settles your rhythm over time. Usage data shows an average 78% track completion rate, with "Morning Calm" being the most-played situation.
Do I need headphones?+
Regular speakers work fine. For accurate alpha/beta frequency entrainment, stereo headphones or earbuds are recommended — noise-cancelling helps block out office stimuli. Many users wear just one earbud during meetings.
How do I get Pausio for my team?+
Pausio is available for businesses through team licensing. Contact us for a demo and pricing for your team size — see the pricing page for details.
How is my calendar data protected?+
We only read time, length, and attendee count for classification, then discard immediately. Event titles, attendee emails, and body text are never stored. Events marked private are auto-excluded, and OAuth permissions are read-only. Disconnect anytime in settings.
What data does Pausio use?+
Pausio reads heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate from Apple Health. All processing happens on your device — raw HRV is never sent to our servers. We only collect anonymized metadata (e.g. "stress level: medium-high", "recommended: Winding Down") for service improvement. No personal health data leaves your device.
Is Pausio a medical device?+
No. Pausio is a wellness tool, not a medical device. Our pulse-based recommendations are based on validated HRV research (see references in the Science section), but they are not a clinical stress assessment or diagnosis. If you have concerns about stress, anxiety, or your heart, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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