What wearable tech can tell you about your health

We used to rely on pedometers and simple activity trackers to count our steps and estimate the calories we burned through exercise. But now, that has evolved into high-tech wearable gadgets that are able to measure our heart rhythms, blood pressure and even sleeping patterns. 

But how accurate are these wearable devices, and how can they actually help you monitor or improve your health? Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., director of UT MD Anderson’s Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, suggests that wearable technology may be a solid first step. 

What is wearable health technology? 

“Wearable health technology is any device worn on the body that provides useful real-time feedback about how your body is functioning and about your health,” Basen-Engquist says. 

These devices include consumer-grade smartwatches, bands and rings that you can buy in stores or online. But they also include medical-grade equipment like heart rate or electrocardiogram monitors worn on your chest. 

Here, we focus on consumer products. 

Types of consumer health monitoring devices 

Consumer products largely consist of four categories of products:  

• Smartwatches
• Smart rings
• General-use fitness activity tracker bands. Some have a small screen to track your progress, and are typically worn around your wrist, arm or ankle
• Continuous blood sugar monitors that reach under your skin (available whether you have diabetes or not) 

Most people can use smartwatches, smart rings and general activity trackers to help track and support their health goals.  

There’s also a fifth category: advanced smart bands, which athletes typically wear around the wrist, bicep, calves or waist to track intense training and recovery metrics. 

But for most people, smartwatches, smart rings and general activity trackers will work to help track and support their health goals. You can use these products by connecting them to your phone or online account, monitor how your body functions and use them to improve or monitor your health. 

What does wearable health tech monitor? 

In addition to counting steps and measuring your physical activity, many wearable health tech products are able to measure skin temperature variations that can signal that you’re recovering from an illness and experiencing changes in your menstrual cycle.  

They may also: 

• Remind you when to stand up and walk around 
• Remind you to drink enough water
• Estimate your body fat percentage
• Identify possible mood-shifting stressors on your body (by measuring how much you are sweating)
• Track heart rate and rhythm changes
• Detect sleeping patterns

“Some watches also have electrocardiogram technology that can detect episodes of unusual heart rhythms, usually atrial fibrillation,” Basen-Engquist explains. “Many watches are starting to offer more cardiac monitoring. They can capture your current heart rate, resting heart rate and heart rate during exercise.” 

Another metric many wearables now provide is pulse oximetry, which measures the amount of oxygen in your blood. That’s similar to the measurement you may get at a doctor’s office when they place a plastic clamp over your finger. 

However, she adds, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to approve even consumer-grade devices to perform diagnostic or screening functions. So far, these devices are only FDA-approved to help diagnose atrial fibrillation. 

Benefits of health monitoring devices  

Devices that measure physical activity are effective at encouraging you to stay active and help you monitor your progress as you work to improve your health, Basen-Engquist explains. 

For example, if your smartwatch indicates sleep disturbances at night, you can take steps to improve your sleep hygiene. Or if it indicates your stress is elevated, you can stop what you’re doing to try some mindfulness exercises. 

“Monitoring your step count and the amount of time you spend doing moderate- or vigorous-intensity activity can be helpful when you’re learning to change your behavior,” Basen-Engquist says. “If you’re a cancer survivor and want to get started with exercise, we might suggest getting a wearable activity monitor to begin tracking your steps and increase your average daily step count by 10% each week.” 

Smartwatches and other wearable tech can also tell you the intensity of your exercise by monitoring your heart rate. 

UT MD Anderson recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, as well as doing strength-training exercises on two days per week. Staying active throughout the day can help you feel better, maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of diseases like cancer. 

And while wearables can alert you when something seems off and suggest you see a doctor, these alerts themselves do not mean you have a medical condition. They can’t definitively diagnose you with high blood pressure (hypertension) or sleep apnea, for instance. Only a medical professional can do that. 

If your device suggests you’re experiencing sleep disturbances at night, the best thing you can do is to contact your doctor and request an in-clinic sleep study, which is the most accurate way to measure sleep disturbances. 

Precautions for health monitoring in wearables 

In some cases, using wearables to monitor your health could cause you more stress. This could be caused by trying to meet unrealistic fitness goals or getting overwhelmed by all the data, Basen-Engquist says. 

“If you focus on it too much, it’s also possible to overinterpret things that aren’t particularly serious,” she adds. 

But Basen-Engquist stresses that behind every smart device you use is a company that’s collecting your personal health data. Many devices also track your location to determine certain metrics like the distance you’ve traveled. 

“I do think privacy is an issue,” she says. “You should make sure you’re using a product from a reputable company, be aware of what you are sharing with them, and understand whether they are sharing it with other companies.” 

Do you need a wearable health tech device? 

Wearable health tech devices can encourage you get and stay active. If you’ve had a hard time getting motivated or setting measurable goals, they may help. 

And many of these devices are effective for detecting abnormal heart rhythms. If you already have an atrial fibrillation diagnosis, they can potentially save your life. At the very least, they may raise some warning signs that suggest you visit a medical professional. 

“These activity trackers, watches and rings can help you get moving, but the most important thing here is that you use their data to embrace a healthy lifestyle,” Basen-Engquist says.

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.