A Max Pulse result comes as two reports: a vascular one (photoplethysmographic vascular assessment) and a stress one (autonomic balance and stress report). At first glance there are a lot of numbers and colored scales. This guide walks through each field as you see it in the result and explains what it means and how to read it without turning one measurement into a verdict about your health.
A single resting fingertip PPG measurement produces two outputs. The vascular report describes the pulse wave and a device vascular profile. The stress report derives variability from optical pulse intervals and labels it HRV; technically this is PRV, not an electrical ECG recording.
The vascular part is captured even in the short 45-second mode, while the stress part is added in the longer 3 or 5-minute measurement. Both parts make the most sense together and over repetition, not as a one-off verdict.
At the top you get the average pulse and a "wave type" (for example type 2). The seven types are proprietary pulse-wave shape categories: the software labels type 1 most favourable and uses less favourable labels as the number rises. They are not seven degrees of narrowing or stiffness.
Below it is the analysed level and vascular status: a percentage distribution across levels 1 to 7. It shows how many analysed pulses the algorithm assigned to each category and whether the distribution was concentrated or dispersed; it does not identify the cause.
For a detailed explanation of PPG, wave types, AE, PE and the method’s limits, open the dedicated APG vascular-analysis guide.
The table contains two proprietary values on a Sub-optimal / Normal / Optimal scale. Current software labels AE arterial and PE peripheral elasticity. They are scores derived from one fingertip APG waveform, not direct separate measurements of large and small vessels.
In the current report version, higher AE and PE map to a more favourable band. Blood pressure, pulse, finger temperature and perfusion, and sensor contact can all affect them. A trend from the same software version under comparable conditions therefore means more than one number.
The most prominent number on the stress report is the proprietary stress score. The algorithm rates a lower number more favourably and the line at 50 separates device bands. It is not a clinical health threshold or a universal unit of stress.
It is important not to read the score as a "nervousness level". Fatigue, sleep, alcohol, illness, caffeine, hard training or a hectic day all feed into it. So it is more honest to talk about regulatory strain on the day than to claim the device measured an exact level of psychological stress.
The dedicated HRV stress-analysis guide explains PPG/PRV versus ECG-HRV, short-recording limits and safe interpretation of each device index.
ANS activity and balance are MaxPulse composite categories calculated from pulse-interval variability. They are not a direct measurement of the entire autonomic nervous system or a precise sympathetic-to-parasympathetic ratio.
Supplier material also explains TP, VLF, LF and HF spectral components, but the current XLS does not send them as separate client values. LF is not a pure sympathetic measure and LF/HF is not a direct “gas-to-brake ratio”. Use the visible summary indices only as device context and trend.
Fatigue, stability, physical stress (PSI) and mental stress (MSI) are proprietary indices of the variability pattern. They may respond to physical or mental load, sleep, illness, training or breathing, but cannot reliably separate the cause. Stability is not a measure of the heart’s electrical stability.
Stress resistance is another proprietary index; the algorithm rates a higher category more favourably. It is not a direct test of psychological resilience, immunity or recovery prognosis. The written comment is a device summary, not a medical conclusion.
You get the most from the result by reading it as a whole and over time. One measurement is a snapshot shaped by the day; a series under similar conditions shows whether the picture is returning to baseline or staying under strain. It fits well next to InBody, blood pressure and subjective feeling.
What a Max Pulse result is not: it is not a diagnosis of vascular disease, nor confirmation of burnout or arrhythmia. If chest pain, shortness of breath, repeated palpitations, fainting or a known arrhythmia appear, the main question is not what Max Pulse shows but how quickly to arrange medical care.
About the measurement
The main page about HRV, vascular signal, stress and autonomic balance.
FAQ
The algorithm rates a lower stress score more favourably; the line at 50 belongs only to the manufacturer scale and is not a health threshold. For the proprietary resistance index, the device rates a higher category more favourably.
Current software labels AE arterial and PE peripheral elasticity. Both are proprietary scores from one fingertip APG waveform, not direct measurements of two separate parts of the vascular tree. In the current version, a higher value maps to a more favourable category.
No. It is orientation from pulse-wave behavior, not a diagnosis. The values are shaped by age, lifestyle and your state on the day, so the trend matters more than a single number.
Both HRV and the vascular part react to the day – sleep, caffeine, alcohol, illness, training and how calmly the measurement was taken. For comparability it is best to measure under conditions as similar as possible.
The report makes the most sense as a trend and alongside InBody, blood pressure and your own feeling. The individual fields are orientation context, not a standalone verdict about health.