Apple Watch saved woman’s life after alerting her of serious medical condition she didn’t know she had

Every time Apple has launched a new Watch in the last few years, it's taken a few minutes out of its blockbuster presentation to talk about how existing models have helped to save people's lives.

These ads are gorgeously produced and tell the stories of how individuals were able to survive life-threatening situations using their Apple Watch's safety features.

While these might involve GPS maps or emergency alerts to get the authorities to help, your Apple Watch can also save your life in a more passive way - by monitoring your heart rate.

For a few years now, new Apple Watch models have been able to watch for atrial fibrillation, a condition which can cause the heart to beat irregularly and rapidly.

It's a serious medical condition which can cause death if left untreated, but it can often be hard to detect without a monitor - which is where the Apple Watch comes in.

A perfect example was given by New Yorker Jessie Malone, 35, who was cycling home on her electric bike last year when her Apple Watch suddenly started to vibrate.

Malone later told Today: "It was saying, 'You need to seek medical attention immediately.' It was red and vibrating. I was like, "Oh my God'."

The watch had detected that Malone's heartbeat was very irregular, staying above 160 beats per minute without any sign of coming down - when you want to be around 60 to 100 beats per minute.

It's completely fine to have a heart rate higher than this during the peak of a workout routine, but when it's sustained for too long, or if the beat is irregular, that can be a sign that something's wrong.

Malone said she had no idea, either - "I was just going to go home and take a nap if my watch hadn't said anything."

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Instead, she re-routed to a hospital and was quickly seen to. Doctors reportedly gave her medication to stop her heart, then restarted it with a defibrillator so she could regain control.

This got her back on track and she was home the next day. Now that Malone is aware of her condition, she can use beta blockers and blood thinners, along with a healthy diet and balanced sleep schedule, to keep herself healthy in the long term.

So, if you're concerned about your heart rate or just your wider health, picking up any Apple Watch could be the perfect safety blanket, with its sensors watching for plenty of health concerns.