Smartwatches have become more than just devices for texting and telling time. They are now an integral part of many people’s health routines. More than a quarter of the US population wore a smartwatch or other connected device for health and fitness tracking in 2023.
By 2026, it is projected that over 100 million Americans will be using smart wearable devices. Smartwatches allow users to track fitness and health data. One beneficial function is tracking steps.
Studies have shown that setting daily step goals can reduce the risk of heart disease and early death. For example, people who are sedentary most of the day and take 9,000 to 10,000 steps per day lower their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 21% and their chance of premature death by 39%. Another study found that even as few as 4,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of early death.
Many active people use smartwatches to track heart rate during exercise to ensure it remains in a certain range. More advanced smartwatches have additional fitness functions like tracking pace, distance, and running cadence. Some can even detect the type of sport being performed and provide GPS data for directions.
However, smartwatches are not approved to diagnose heart attacks.
Smartwatches for daily health insights
If you have chest pain and your smartwatch readings are normal, you should still seek immediate medical care.
Smartwatches do not replace medical-grade monitoring equipment. Many smartwatches claim to detect an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke if untreated. Some smartwatches have received FDA clearance for this function in adults without a history of atrial fibrillation.
However, people who receive such a notification should contact their primary care provider for further evaluation. The accuracy of smartwatches in measuring oxygen levels is variable. If you need to measure oxygen levels due to underlying lung problems, you should use dedicated equipment like a pulse oximeter.
When it comes to blood glucose, the FDA has advised consumers not to use smartwatches or smart rings that claim to measure blood glucose levels as they may provide inaccurate measurements. Many smartwatches track sleep, telling you how long you’ve slept and the duration of each sleep stage. This information can be helpful for experimenting with different sleep aid methods and correlating the data with sleep quality.
Smartwatches can be beneficial for people who like data to help inform and motivate their health and fitness routines. However, they are not a replacement for medical-grade monitoring devices and should not be relied upon for critical health conditions. The key is to use smartwatches as a supportive tool in your health journey.
