Are you searching for the best medical smartwatches that will assist in improving your fitness or simply keeping track of your health, there are plenty of options available.
Nowadays, most smartwatches now come equipped with multiple sensors that can be used for monitoring various health conditions. These include a heart rate monitor, pedometer, sleep tracking, and more.
Heart Rate Monitor
Heart rate monitors are an invaluable tool for monitoring your heart’s activity. They can assist in creating an exercise program and getting healthier overall, as well as detect any irregular heart rhythms which could potentially lead to early identification of atrial fibrillation or other conditions.
Heart rate monitors come in two varieties: chest strap and wrist-based. Chest straps offer the highest accuracy, while wrist-based models may be more convenient. Some even provide additional health metrics like oxygen saturation.
When purchasing a heart rate monitor watch, it is important to consider what type of workout you will be doing and the data collected. For instance, look for models with sports modes like cycling or jogging. Afterward, decide on other features needed and if synching with your smartphone or another device that supports ANT+ or Bluetooth is desired.
Some watches also come equipped with a pulse sensor, which measures your pulse as well. While this method may not be as precise as using an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, it remains an invaluable tool nonetheless.
If you’re using a smartwatch to monitor your heart rate, make sure it has an ECG sensor. This is especially beneficial if you have conditions like atrial fibrillation which could cause an irregular heart rhythm and trigger alerts on the watch.
Another essential factor to consider is battery life. Some chest straps can last a year, while armbands usually have smaller batteries that must be charged frequently.
The right heart rate monitor should fit securely and comfortably on your wrist, but not so tightly that blood pools around the sensor. Furthermore, it should be placed just above where your wrist meets your hand for proper alignment.
Before purchasing a heart rate monitor, speak to your doctor about its potential benefits for improving your health. They can suggest an appropriate type of monitor based on your requirements and budget, as well as provide advice on using it safely and effectively so that any data received is reliable.
Pedometer
A pedometer is an electronic device that records your steps while walking. These can be worn on the wrist, or neck or clipped to clothing for added convenience. Some pedometers also measure distance traveled and calories burned, making them useful tools for monitoring overall health.
These devices are designed to be small and lightweight, making them comfortable to wear for most users. They come in an array of styles and colors, including some that look like stylish jewelry you can blend into your style around the wrist or neck.
They typically feature an LCD display that displays the number of steps taken by the user. Some even come with a pedometer app compatible with smartphones, providing even greater functionality and enabling you to track fitness goals more effectively.
Pedometers can be an excellent motivator to stay active. Studies indicate that wearing a pedometer may increase your daily step count by up to 27%, which is even more encouraging when considering that this increased activity leads to decreases in body mass index and other indicators of health.
Most pedometers operate using a spring-loaded mechanism that swings up and down with the wearer’s movement. This causes the spring to strike a metal contact in the center of the device, counting each step when it makes contact.
Some pedometers also include a GPS unit to calculate the overall distance. This information can be displayed in various units, such as miles and kilometers.
When shopping for a pedometer, accuracy, and features that meet your needs and budget are key considerations. Furthermore, ensure the device is user-friendly with no setup or programming hassles.
The Omron Tri-Axis Pedometer is an affordable option with numerous features, such as step counting in miles and kilometers. It is easy to use and syncs up with your smartphone so you can monitor your fitness progress easily. With storage capacity for up to 30 days of records plus calories burned and exercise time info, the pedometer provides all the data necessary for tracking progress toward fitness goals. Plus, several fitness modes make tracking activities simpler with Earn Active Zone Minutes rewards to motivate you towards those accomplishments!
Sleep Tracker
Sleep trackers use sensors embedded in watches to measure your sleeping patterns and provide information about the quality of your rest. They typically employ various methods for measurement, such as accelerometers or heart rates. Some even analyze your cycle to help distinguish REM (rapid eye movement) and deep sleep phases of a typical session.
Smart watches with built-in accelerometers are one of the most common types of sleep trackers available. This type of device is especially helpful for monitoring sleep cycles since it records data without the need to wear a smartphone or other tracking device.
Apple Watch and Fitbit Charge 4 are two popular medical smartwatches that double as sleep trackers. Both models monitor how long you spend sleeping, as well as different stages of deep sleep such as REM or light snooze.
Even though they may not be as accurate as polysomnography, which is the gold standard in sleep research, these devices can still be useful in evaluating your sleeping patterns and improving your health by learning how to get better rest. They may also alert you to sleep-related problems like snoring or sleep apnea.
Another key benefit of medical smartwatches is their capacity to monitor your breathing. It may be able to detect sleep apnea as well as other respiratory-related issues with its medical-grade SpO2 sensor, making it an invaluable asset in daily life.
Some watches allow you to monitor the quality of your sleep by showing how often you snore and loudly, as well as providing statistics about rest patterns and morning alertness. These features can help determine if improving nighttime habits is necessary or if medical intervention may be required for additional treatment options.
Sleep-tracking smartwatches can accurately detect your sleeping patterns and help identify different sleep stages such as light, deep, and REM. However, it’s essential to remember that these devices make educated guesses about your level of rest based on information collected from heart rate and breathing data.
Activity Tracker
Smartwatches are electronic devices that monitor activity and other health-related metrics. They typically track walking, running, and other physical activities as well as calorie consumption and heart rate; the data is then synced to a smartphone app or website for easy access.
Most wearable activity trackers use accelerometers, which detect up-and-down, side-to-side, and back-and-forth movement by measuring how much of your body moves in different directions. This data can then be used to gauge activity levels or calculate the total daily steps taken.
Some fitness bands also measure other important statistics like blood oxygen level, stress levels, and menstruation cycle to give you a comprehensive view of your overall health. Tracking helps identify areas for improvement in life.
Researchers have been using wearable fitness trackers to collect data for scientific studies, and have discovered that these devices can be beneficial in increasing participants’ physical activity levels. A recent randomized trial that combined a wrist-worn tracker with an SMS coaching system revealed that additional support from coaches helped boost step counts beyond what tracking alone could achieve – by more than one mile a day!
Another study examined users’ experiences with activity trackers, exploring issues such as ease of use, difficulties using them, usage patterns, and overall satisfaction. Results revealed that most respondents reported moderate to high overall satisfaction with their devices and found common concerns across different brands (Subedar & El-Khatib, 2015; Zhou & Piramuthu, 2014).
These devices can provide valuable health monitoring data but should be used with caution. Many do not possess the accuracy required to accurately measure healthy behaviors which may lead to miscommunication between users and their healthcare providers or coaches (Subedar & El-Khatib, 2012).
Fitness trackers can be an invaluable aid for health monitoring, encouraging active lifestyles, and avoiding disease (Burne et al., 2010; Bryson & Osborn, 2011). They’re especially useful at motivating employees to stay active as well as tracking weight loss progress.
