09:41
Pulse
Nicotine curve · 4 hr window
baseline
active
0%
tap to expand
Saturation
0%
nicotinic
Clear in
—
time
Dopamine
Base
state
HRV estimate
—
ms · nervous system calm score
RHR
—
bpm
SpO₂
—
%
Stress
—
score
Resp.
—
br/min
HRV
—
ms
Steps
—
today
Sleep
—
score
Updated
—
Quick log Cigarette
Plan next intake —
Today's note
"Understanding your chemistry is the first step to any change you choose to make."
Log Intake
Product type
Strength / dose
What triggered this?
Mood beforehand
History
Today
Last 7 days · total mg nicotine (tap to expand)
Today's timeline
Insights
Milestone Share
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Clean Days This Month
0%
Body Recovery
since last use
Time since last intake
—
No intake logged yet
Daily average
7-day
4.2 mg
nicotine per day
Peak intake window
pattern
8–9 AM
Most logs occur in this window
Trigger breakdown
30-day
Longest clean window
today
—
hours without intake
Body signals
Simulated
HRV trend —
Resting HR
— bpm
Blood oxygen
— %
Stress index
—
Respiratory
— br/min
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Pulse v2.3.0 · For informational use only. Not medical advice.
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Only selected brands appear in the log screen.
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Apple Health · Garmin · HRV, SpO₂ and more
Poll on log + every
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How to connect

iOS (coming in v3.0): Pulse will request read-only access to Apple Health. Go to Health app → Sharing → Apps → Pulse, and enable Heart Rate, HRV, SpO₂, Sleep and Steps.

Android (coming in v3.0): Pulse will connect via Health Connect. Open Health Connect → App permissions → Pulse and enable the same metrics.

Garmin / Polar: Export your daily summary CSV from Garmin Connect and import it via Data & Privacy → Import. Full BLE sync available in the native app.

Currently running in simulated mode — all biometric values are estimated from your intake log.

Metrics used by Pulse
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Confirms nicotine saturation curve in real time
High value
Resting Heart Rate
Elevated RHR signals cardiovascular load
High value
Blood Oxygen (SpO₂)
Dips after combustible use — validates CO clearance
High value
Sleep stages
Late intake suppresses REM — shown in sleep card
High value
Step count
Exercise boosts nicotine clearance by ~35%
Medium
Respiratory rate
Long-term trend marker for lung health
Medium
Data privacy

Pulse never transmits biometric data. All wearable data is read locally and stored only in your browser's localStorage — the same place your intake logs live.

When you connect Apple Health or Health Connect, Pulse requests read-only permission. It cannot write to your health record. You can revoke access at any time from your device's Health app settings.

No biometric data is ever sent to any server, analytics platform, or third party — not even anonymised. The model runs entirely on-device.

Nicotine Guide
What nicotine actually does

When nicotine enters your bloodstream it reaches your brain in about 10 seconds and triggers a burst of dopamine — the chemical behind feelings of reward and calm. That sensation is real, but it fades fast, usually within 20–30 minutes, which is why the urge to use again arrives so quickly.

The more often you use, the more your brain adjusts to expect nicotine. Over time it produces less dopamine on its own, so you need nicotine just to feel normal rather than to feel good. That's why stopping is hard — the restlessness and irritability aren't weakness, they're your brain recalibrating.

2h
Half leaves your body
10s
Reaches brain when inhaled
72h
Fully gone from body
What health bodies say

There is no safe level of tobacco use. The World Health Organization recommends stopping entirely as the only fully protective measure — not reducing, not switching, stopping.

For people who want to stop, the WHO recommends nicotine replacement products — gum, patch, lozenge — as a proven first step. Using a slow-release patch alongside a fast-acting gum works better than either alone, and behavioural support alongside NRT roughly doubles success rates.

Withdrawal symptoms are temporary. Most physical discomfort peaks at 48–72 hours and largely resolves within 2–4 weeks. The mental habit takes longer, but is learnable.

Sources: WHO FCTC Guidelines 2021 · Cochrane Review on NRT · NHS Stop Smoking

By product
Cigarette
Vape / E-cigarette
Pouch / Snus
Gum / NRT
Cigar
Pipe
Harm comparison
Highest harm: Cigarettes, pipe, cigar — all involve burning
Moderate: Vaping — no burning, long-term effects still being studied
Lowest harm: Pouches, gum, patch — nothing burned, nothing inhaled

Lower harm doesn't mean zero risk. Stopping entirely is always the safest option. — Royal College of Physicians, 2016

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NUKE ALL DATA
About
Version
2.3.0
Research references · 11
Medical disclaimer
Account
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Pulse works entirely offline by default. Your data never leaves your device unless you choose to create an account.
What an account adds
Backup your logs
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No one can read your data — not even us
What never changes
No ads. No data selling. No third-party analytics. Pulse costs the same — nothing — with or without an account.
Glossary & Tour
Glossary & Tour
App Tour
Restart App Tour
Walk through the 6-step feature guide again
The tour highlights the graph, metric tiles, quick-log, and insights screen. You can dismiss it at any step.
Medical Terms
Nicotine Saturation
Shown as a percentage (0–100%). It represents how much nicotine is currently active in your bloodstream relative to your personal peak. At 100% you feel fully settled; below ~20% the brain begins sending craving signals — that restless, irritable edge you feel is this drop, not a 'need'.
Clear In
An estimate of how long until nicotine in your system drops to a near-zero baseline (~0.05 mg). Calculated from your current saturation using nicotine's ~2-hour half-life. Useful for planning — if you have a long meeting or flight, you can see exactly when a craving window opens.
Half-Life
The time it takes for nicotine concentration in the blood to halve. Average is ~2 hours (120 minutes), though it varies with age, liver enzyme activity, and genetics. Pulse uses this to draw the decay curve on your graph.
HRV — Heart Rate Variability
The millisecond variation between consecutive heartbeats. Higher HRV = more relaxed nervous system and better recovery. Nicotine acutely raises heart rate and suppresses HRV for 20–60 minutes after use. Chronic use blunts baseline HRV. Connected devices (Apple Health, Garmin) provide real readings; otherwise Pulse estimates from your profile.
RHR — Resting Heart Rate
Your heart rate when fully at rest, measured in beats per minute (bpm). A healthy adult range is 50–80 bpm. Each nicotine dose temporarily raises RHR by 10–20 bpm due to adrenaline release. Chronically elevated RHR is a cardiovascular risk marker.
SpO₂ — Blood Oxygen
The percentage of haemoglobin in your blood carrying oxygen. Normal is 97–100%. Combustible products (cigarettes, cigars) introduce carbon monoxide which binds to haemoglobin instead of oxygen, dropping SpO₂ by 1–3%. Non-combustibles have minimal effect on SpO₂.
Dopamine State
A qualitative label (Baseline → Rising → Peak → Falling → Depleted) that reflects where you are in the nicotine-dopamine cycle. Nicotine triggers a dopamine release; as it fades you may feel below-baseline ('Depleted') — this is the craving mechanism, not a permanent low mood.
Stress Index
A 0–100 score derived from HRV and RHR. Below 30 = low stress, 30–60 = moderate, above 60 = elevated. Nicotine paradoxically raises this score despite feeling calming — the relief you feel is the drug reversing its own withdrawal, not genuine relaxation.
CO Clearance
Carbon monoxide from combustible products binds haemoglobin with 250× the affinity of oxygen. It takes ~5–8 hours of clean air to clear half of the CO load. Pulse tracks this separately from nicotine clearance since CO lingers far longer in the body.
Respiratory Rate
Breaths per minute at rest. Normal adult range is 12–20. Shown in the biometric strip; elevated rate can indicate stress, cardiovascular strain, or recent aerobic activity. Nicotine use acutely increases respiratory rate.
Clean Streak
The number of consecutive days without logging any nicotine intake. Streaks are motivational, not medical — but research shows cessation success rates improve sharply after 7, 14, and 30-day milestones.
Sleep Impact Score
A 0–100 score estimating how nicotine use affected last night's sleep. Late-night intake (after 9 PM) suppresses REM sleep and increases light-sleep fragmentation. Nicotine withdrawal can also disrupt sleep independently of the drug itself.
Medical
Disclaimer

1. No Medical Advice

Pulse is an informational and self-tracking tool only. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, nicotine addiction, or cessation plan.

2. Not a Diagnostic Tool

The biological metrics displayed in this application—including nicotine saturation, half-life decay, and HRV estimates—are based on generalized pharmacokinetic models. They are theoretical approximations and must not be used to manage medication, time clinical doses, or make critical health decisions.

3. Assumption of Risk

Modifying nicotine intake can cause physiological and psychological side effects. By using Pulse, you acknowledge and agree that you are fully responsible for your health and safety. Pulse and its creators assume no liability for any direct or indirect adverse effects resulting from your use of this application.

4. Medical Emergencies

Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of information provided by this app. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or local emergency services immediately.

5. Age Restriction

You must be of legal age to purchase and consume nicotine products in your jurisdiction to use this app. By proceeding, you confirm you meet this legal age requirement.

Commitment
Contract

Write a private note to yourself. This will appear during high cravings to remind you why you're tracking.

Privacy
Policy

1. Local-First & Zero Knowledge

Pulse is built with absolute privacy by design. We do not operate servers, databases, or user accounts. All data you input is stored strictly locally on your personal device and never transmitted anywhere.

2. Data Collection & Usage

We collect biological parameters (Age, Sex, Weight) and consumption logs solely to power the app's internal algorithms and personalize your dashboard. This data is never transmitted to us or any third-party analytics provider.

3. Third-Party Integrations

Location Services: Pulse may make a transient, anonymized ping to an IP-geolocation service strictly to load region-specific product brands. Your IP address is never stored.

Wearable Sync: If connected to HealthKit or Garmin, Pulse requests read-only access to process HRV data locally. Your health data is never exported off-device.

4. Data Sharing & Monetization

Because we do not possess your data, we cannot sell, share, or monetize it. Your health and habit data are entirely your own business.

5. User Rights & Deletion

You have total control over your information. You may export your raw data at any time via the Settings menu. Selecting "Clear all logs" permanently deletes your database from your device. As there are no cloud backups, this action is entirely irreversible.

Biological
Profile

To make the data as accurate as possible, Pulse adjusts its tracking algorithms based on factors that influence nicotine metabolism.

28 yrs
70 kg
3 yrs
Step 1 of 6
The nicotine curve
Text
10:00

Just sit with it.

This feeling is a chemical signal from your nervous system. It's real, and it's temporary.

Most cravings peak and subside within 5–10 min [2]

Milestone reached
Nicotine History
4-hour window
Daily breakdown
Research references

Pharmacokinetics

[1]
Benowitz NL. Nicotine addiction. New England Journal of Medicine, 2010; 362(24):2295–2303. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0809890
[2]
Shiffman S, et al. Craving and withdrawal as predictors of relapse. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1997; 106(1):104–111.
[3]
Hukkanen J, Jacob P, Benowitz NL. Metabolism and disposition kinetics of nicotine. Pharmacological Reviews, 2005; 57(1):79–115.

Nicotine & Health

[4]
US Surgeon General. The Health Consequences of Smoking — 50 Years of Progress. USDHHS, 2014.
[5]
WHO. Tobacco: Key facts. World Health Organization, 2023. who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
[6]
Balfour DJK. The neurobiology of tobacco dependence. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2004; 6(6):899–912.

Cessation & NRT

[7]
Stead LF, et al. Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012; Issue 11.
[8]
Cahill K, et al. Pharmacological interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database, 2013; Issue 5.
[9]
Hartmann-Boyce J, et al. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database, 2022; Issue 11.

Cravings & Behaviour

[10]
Ferguson SG, Shiffman S. The relevance and treatment of cue-induced cravings in tobacco dependence. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009; 36(3):235–243.
[11]
Niaura R, et al. Cardiovascular reactivity and craving. Health Psychology, 1998; 17(6):571–578.
Medical Disclaimer & Terms

1. No Medical Advice

Pulse is an informational and self-tracking tool only. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, nicotine addiction, or cessation plan.

2. Not a Diagnostic Tool

The biological metrics displayed in this application—including nicotine saturation, half-life decay, and HRV estimates—are based on generalized pharmacokinetic models. They are theoretical approximations and must not be used to manage medication, time clinical doses, or make critical health decisions.

3. Assumption of Risk

Modifying nicotine intake can cause physiological and psychological side effects. By using Pulse, you acknowledge and agree that you are fully responsible for your health and safety. Pulse and its creators assume no liability for any direct or indirect adverse effects resulting from your use of this application.

4. Medical Emergencies

Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of information provided by this app. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or local emergency services immediately.

5. Age Restriction

You must be of legal age to purchase and consume nicotine products in your jurisdiction to use this app. By using Pulse, you confirm you meet this legal age requirement.

Glossary

Nicotine saturation

A percentage showing how much nicotine is currently active in your body. When it's high (above 60%), you feel settled. As it drops toward 0%, your body starts sending craving signals — that restless, reaching feeling. It takes about 2 hours for a cigarette's worth to fall by half.

Clear in

How long until your nicotine level drops to near-zero. This is the point where cravings are most likely to peak. If you're trying to space out your intakes, this number tells you how much of a window you have.

HRV (Heart Rate Variability)

A measure of how varied the gaps between your heartbeats are. Higher HRV = more relaxed and recovered nervous system. Nicotine temporarily lowers it, meaning your body is under slightly more stress even if you don't feel it. The best time to check it is first thing in the morning.

Dopamine state

An estimate of where your mood chemistry is right now. "Elevated" means nicotine is actively stimulating dopamine release. "Falling" means it's wearing off and you may start to feel a dip. "Base" means you're back to your natural baseline — which, with regular use, is often lower than it would be for a non-user.

RHR (Resting Heart Rate)

Your heart rate when you're calm and not exercising. Nicotine raises it temporarily. A lower resting HR over time generally means better cardiovascular health.

SpO₂ (Blood Oxygen)

The percentage of oxygen your blood is carrying. Normal is 95–100%. Smoking combustible products can bring this down slightly because carbon monoxide competes with oxygen in your blood.

CO Clearance

Carbon monoxide is a gas produced when tobacco burns. It's absorbed into your blood and crowds out oxygen. After your last cigarette, cigar, or pipe, it takes roughly 4–6 hours for CO to drop significantly. This card only appears for combustible products — vapes and pouches don't produce CO.

Stress index

Derived from your HRV — a rough gauge of how much your nervous system is under load. 0 = very calm, 100 = high strain. Nicotine raises this number in the short term, even though the intake may feel calming.

Clean streak

How long since your last logged intake. The ring fills as you approach 24 hours. At key milestones (20 min, 12 hours, 72 hours) the app will surface what's changing in your body — these are real, well-studied recovery markers.

Respiratory rate

How many breaths per minute. Normal is around 12–18. This is estimated based on your current state — a real wearable will give you a more accurate reading.

Sleep impact

Nicotine is a stimulant. Late-night intake (after 9 PM) tends to reduce the quality of deep sleep even if you fall asleep normally. The sleep score here reflects this — it's an estimate, not a clinical reading.

Intake logged
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