Improving Your Health With Wearable Devices
“It seems like wearable tech devices are becoming more common for monitoring health and vital signs. What do you think about these? ”
Dear Truth Or Trend,
You’re right—the demand for wearable technology has skyrocketed in the past several years, as more and more people desire to improve their health and monitor their vital signs on a regular basis. In fact, according to a report from Research and Markets, global sales of wearable devices are expected to exceed $60 billion by 2025!
What exactly do wearable devices entail? In healthcare, these include any sort of electronic device a consumer can wear that collects personalized data of the user’s exercise levels and vital signs, including blood pressure, oxygen saturation, blood sugar, weight, and more. Many are even able to send this information directly to your doctor in real time, who is then able to monitor your health from afar. A study from Johns Hopkins Medicine has found that wearable devices offer a much more reliable measure of health data than self-reporting, as people often tend to overestimate or underestimate on surveys.
Examples of common wearable devices include:
Fitness trackers: sensor-equipped wristbands that measure one’s physical activity and heart rate.
Smartwatches: electronic watches that are able to measure one’s heart rhythms, blood oxygen saturation, sleep, and electrocardiograms (ECGs).
Wearable blood pressure monitors: oscillometric blood pressure monitors that measure blood pressure and other activities such as steps taken and calories burned.
Biosensors: self-adhesive patches that collect data on movement, respiratory rate, temperature, and heart rate.
Wearable devices have even been used during the COVID pandemic to track symptoms such as fevers and breathing patterns. These remote monitoring tools have allowed physicians to keep an eye on patients who have been discharged in case there is a need for immediate intervention.
Even if you do not have any chronic conditions that require regular monitoring, wearable devices can be a great tool for getting more exercise and sleep, as well as losing weight. As the device collects data, a corresponding app on your phone can interpret all the information and show you how you’re progressing. In fact, in one trial with 51 overweight post-menopausal women, those who wore a digital tracker exercised 38 more minutes each week than those who just used pedometers, which only count the number of steps taken.
The use of wearable devices will undoubtedly grow more and more common as the technology improves and telemedicine becomes the norm. While the data that these devices provide in no way replaces a healthcare professional, if you are looking to improve your heart health, get more exercise, lose weight, or just be informed about your vitals in general, I would definitely recommend trying one out.