Wearable health trackers, such as smartwatches, are becoming more and more popular as mainstream consumer products.
The technology in wearables is capable of recording health data that can assist us in understanding our fitness or health. A number of IEEE standards have been developed for these devices. They specify the connection between wearable trackers and the phone apps that cooperate with them.
Without these standards in place, wearable health trackers may not function as fluidly between devices as we’ve come to expect. The future of wearable health trackers appears to be brighter than ever. Here are five great reasons why wearable health trackers are worth considering:
1. Track Exercise, Heart Rate, Breathing, and Other Vital Signs
To track our breathing, exercise, or heart rates, wearables use sensors built into their processors controlled by software algorithms.
There are a variety of approaches used to achieve this monitoring. For instance, they use photoplethysmography for blood pressure, breathing, and heart rates, and accelerometer sensing for movement. Additionally, edge computing, the IoT, and cloud computing are three technologies used in conjunction with wearables.
2. Ability to Self-monitor Exercise
Because of the pandemic, a large amount of attention is going into fitness. However, social-distancing protocols and limiting access to gyms and other such community sports institutions have been a challenge. Wearables are a godsend in this situation because they make it easier to track one’s activity despite being alone.
Monitoring vital signs and changes during exercise is a powerful tool. In addition, providing real-time feedback assists in staying under safe levels of stress during the exercise session. Therefore, you can exercise with greater confidence.
This is especially important for those suffering from chronic, or other disorders. Just knowing that dependable feedback mechanisms are preventing injury is a great help.
3. Comprehensive Picture of Overall Health
When people track their activity, they become more conscious of maintaining a healthy balance in their lives. Whether it’s sleep, exercise, or eating habits, tracking gives you a better overall view of your health. Wearables are also valuable in treating people suffering from ailments such as heart disease or obesity.
In addition, athletes can gain valuable information using workout diaries and other self-tracking methods. And when athletes sustain injuries, wearables can assist them in monitoring their recovery and staying on top of treatments.
Using self-tracking features on their devices, health-conscious users may keep track of their fitness levels. Additionally, wearables allow users to access apps and messages without ever having to take the gadget out of their pockets.
The most significant benefit of wearable health trackers is providing a comprehensive view of an individual’s health in one location. This not only gives valuable information to the user but also saves time and money.
4. Doctors Can Use the Information to Assist in Diagnoses
Data from these wearables contain extremely personal information, therefore, data protection and privacy standards continue to apply. However, with the proper agreement, this information is sharable. Doctors can then use that information to make a diagnosis for a patient who requires care.
For example, the use of a smartwatch was reported to have assisted doctors in diagnosing a critical heart problem. After reviewing several months of data trends, doctors took prompt action to treat the patient. As a result, someone’s life was saved.
5. The Technology Is Improving
As of today, the market for wearables is somewhere over $33 billion, with growth expectations exceeding 15 percent each year. Wearables have a bright future ahead of them. This is because they combine the technology to modify social behavior and acceptance of transformational use-cases in a single package.
There are various types of wearables that are currently available. These include things like smartwatches, smart glasses, smart badges, smart headset gadgets, and smart bracelets. However, there are soon-to-be exoskeleton suits for heavy lifting and 3D printed human organs, showing this technology is still growing.
Image Credit: Karolina Grabowska; Pexels; Thank you!
