Six health issues a smartwatch can spot before you do


The Smart watches started as a shortcut to examine your messages and alerts without taking out your phone, but they have evolved into a lot more.

Now when you place a wearable device on your wrist or smartwatch, carries not only an extension of your phone, but also a device that helps you monitor your health and well-being.

And just like you can use the statistics of your smart watch To celebrate a full week of bedtime early, your device can also help. detect and resolve some common health problems.

However, this He is not a doctor worn around the arm, so it should be noted that these detection functions they are only a recommendation; They are not a substitute for a visit to your primary care physician, but they can certainly tell you when it’s time to come to their office for that exam.

1. A sedentary lifestyle

Almost all the Smart watches that exist will alert you if you spend too much time sitting. Be leaning over laptop Day-long exercise with little to no exercise has been directly linked to serious health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, and even premature death.

You can use any Smart watch that you like to set goals and follow your own routine, but if you want proactive alerts that go off on your wrist whenever you sit for too long, your Options include any Apple Watch and Fitbit.

Unfortunately, this a function he is not there available

natively in the Google Wear operating system.

If you have a fitbit smart watch, for example, open the Fitbit app on your phone, To touch your avatar (top left) then choose the device you use. The Reminders to move The entry on the next screen allows you to activate and deactivate the configuration.

2. Atrial fibrillation

If you’ve never heard of him, atrial fibrillation is a heart irregularity in which the upper chambers of the heart vibrate instead of beating normally, which means that the organ cannot pump blood as efficiently, which increases the risk of clots. This can lead to coronary heart failure or even a stroke. The The good news is that when diagnosed at an early stage, treatments such as medications or surgeries can minimize the risk of harm from this condition.

For detect correctly the signs of atrial fibrillation, his Smart watch Needs a electrocardiogram (ECG) function, which records the tiny electrical signals produced by your heartbeat. You can find this Works on the latest smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and Withings

, and can search signs of atrial fibrillation and advise you if you should see a doctor.

To see the instructions that come with your Smart watch to successfully perform an ECG. In the case of Apple watch 4 and later make sure it is snug on your wrist, then run ECG dedicated device, one that looks like a red heartbeat analysis on a white background.

3. Sleep apnea

People who suffer Sleep Apnea stop and start to breathe irregularly while he sleeps. If left untreated, it can lead to increased blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, and difficulty concentrating during the day. Although these effects can have serious long-term consequences, this condition is still largely undiagnosed.

Fortunately, this is where a smartwatch can come in.

At the time of writing, there is no smart watch to warn you specifically on sleep apnea, but anyone can identify periods of restless sleep. It could average sleep apnea, although this is not a particularly precise way to be alerted. If you are concerned about this condition, look for a smart watch with a blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor, which can help control sleep in more detail.

ScanWatch may be your best option for detecting this condition, as it includes a SpO2 and is awaiting regulatory approval because medical grade sleep apnea detector. During, Fitbit is testing an app update which could detect sleep apnea from data collected by your devices, although it is not yet available on any product.

4. Respiratory problems

A SpO2 sensor, Sometimes also called a pulse oximeter, it can detect breathing problems, a possible sign of lung disease, and an increasing number of wearable devices are provided with it. However, it does not have the same level of accuracy and precision than an ECG function for atrial fibrillation, since the sensor can only detect one of several indicators.

You may have noticed that Apple is pushing hard with the blood oxygen sensor built into the latest Apple Watch 6, which makes this device one of your options if you are looking to spot these types of issues. East The sensor is also available on Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, TicWatch Pro 3 with Wear OS, and a variety of Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches.

If you are using a Galaxy Watch 3, open it Samsung Health app in the app gallery, scroll down, choose Oxygen in the blood Yes Follow the instructions on the screen.

A normal reading is usually between 95% and 100%, but it can vary from person to person. It’s important to remember that these sensors are not yet as accurate as medical devices, so if you get a reading that is outside of these parameters, keep in mind that while it’s worth it. see a doctor, it may be nothing.

5. Stress

We should all closely monitor our stress levelsespecially during the difficult times in which we live. The built-up blood pressure can lead to high blood pressure, fertility problems, insomnia, and high risk of heart attack, among other health problems.

he latest Fitbit Sense smartwatch strongly focuses on Eliminate stress. Comes with a electrodermal activity sensor (EDA) which measures the electrical activity in the skin, which can be used to calculate your stress level; the lower your score, the more stressed you will be. However, it is not a built-in Fitbit function, so you shouldstart the EDA Scan application from the watch to get a reading.

Other smartwatches also offer tools to help you deal with stress. he Apple Watch, for example, it comes with its own Apple’s Breathe app that encourages deep breathing and meditation. While this is an alternative and most smartwatches can now detect prolonged periods of high heart rate, none of them are as simple and specifically designed as the EDA sensor on the Fitbit Sense.

6. Diabetes (coming soon)

The Smart watches they are still unable to detect if the user is at increased risk of developing diabetesBut the heart health company Cardiogram is currently researching this topic in hopes of developing an app for it.

Currently doing apps for Wear OS and Apple Watch, which can also collect data from devices manufactured by Garmin and Fitbit. The idea is to use learning techniques deep to extract more of your heart rate readings than your Smart watch he can do it alone.

Recent research shows that cardiogram algorithms can detect diabetes with portable devices found on the market today. However, testing and research is ongoing, and it’s not yet a feature of the Cardiogram apps that you can use today.

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