During the Apollo 11 lunar module’s historic touchdown on the moon, mission control monitored the astronauts’ heartbeats. The electrocardiograms shown above (heart rates) of Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin are shown at key mission phases: launch, lunar touchdown, extravehicular activity (EVA), and lunar lift-off.
This tracing tells an extraordinary story:
Neil Armstrong’s heart rate surged to over 220 bpm during the Lunar touchdown, exceeding his maximal predicted heart rate for his age.
During the Extravehicular Activity (EVA), Armstrong’s heart rate still remained high but Aldrin’s heart rate looked like he was walking in his backyard.
Same mission. Same moment. Two very different physiologic stress responses.
Even in one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
Stress is personal, variable, and visible in the data.
While lunar landings may be a thing of the past, your job likely presents its own “mission-critical” moments. These could include intricate surgical procedures, presentations, jury trials, complex negotiations, leadership challenges, or demanding sales quotas—all capable of eliciting similar physiological stress responses.
We think of it is invisible. Something we carry quietly.
Now, with wearables like WHOOP, Oura, and Apple Watch, we can see the invisible.
During a particularly challenging ablation on a sick patient, my WHOOP captured my physiologic toll in real-time. I can only imagine what my heart rate would be if I were landing on the moon. Stress is physical. It leaves fingerprints that we can see on our wearables. It mirrored what I felt and quantified it.
It helps me understand that stress data isn’t about weakness—it’s about insight.
Stress isn’t a sign of failure for most of us; it indicates the significance of the moment. For me, successfully guiding my patient through the ablation was important, and for anyone tackling challenging endeavors—whether in space or an operating room—the data can show how it can impact your health.
Our moments hold weight. Now, with wearables, we can observe, manage, and learn from them. With wearables, stress stops being invisible—and becomes something we can finally understand and try to minimize.