STACK #204 Oct 2021

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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HEALTH SMARTS Expanding from fitness tracking, smartwatches are now fully integrated into the smart health and wellbeing space. Gaining insights into your health through tech strapped to your wrist is an exciting proposition. In some cases, a wearable can detect potential underlying health issues. A notification for an irregular heartbeat, increased stress levels or low blood oxygen saturation can alert the user and prompt further investigation. However, if you’re feeling unwell, your first port of call should always be a medical practitioner. But let’s look at some of the features available in this space.

reading below that percentage at sea level indicates that the blood is poorly saturated, and can point to worsening severity of conditions like asthma, pneumonia and COVID-19. The technology used to measure blood oxygen saturation has now been adapted for smartwatches,

KEEP THE READING REAL There are several ways that you can improve the reading on your smartwatch. You want the watch to be fitted nice and snug to the wrist – a loose-fitting smartwatch will give an inaccurate reading. A reading can also be affected by too much hair, sunscreen or insect repellent on the skin area beneath the wrist. Avoid soaps and cleaning agents when cleaning your smartwatch. Instead, wipe down the watch after heavy usage with a lint-free cloth. If dirt does build up around the sensors on the underside, gently clean with a soft, damp toothbrush.

and while the results will not be as accurate, it can be a good indication of where blood oxygen saturation percentages are sitting. This can help monitor the aforementioned respiratory illnesses and can aid in detecting sleep apnoea. High altitude climbers and hikers also rely on this technology for monitoring their Sp02 readings. Heart rate tracking

Electrocardiogram An electrocardiogram is a procedure used to detect heart abnormalities, and this feature was first rolled into Apple’s Series 4 watch back in 2018. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has now

approved ECG apps for Withings’ ScanWatch, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4, Fitbit’s Sense and the upcoming Charge 5. It’s worth noting that in smartwatches, the feature can only be used to detect an irregular heart rate and atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart

Monitoring your heart rate is one the most efficient ways to check how your body is tracking from both a fitness perspective, and overall heart health and wellbeing. A smartwatch uses

rate that reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood). While a reading taken at a hospital is more detailed, logging ECG readings over a period of time can be useful data for a doctor to analyse. Blood oxygen The little clip that’s placed on the end of your finger in the hospital is a pulse oximeter. This device is measuring the oxygen saturation in your blood, and this is known as an Sp02 reading. An Sp02 reading of 95 per cent or above is considered normal. However, a

sensors pressed against the wrist, with a reading determined using algorithms. Monitoring your heart rate can indicate how hard you work during high-intensity training and how quickly you recover afterwards. You

stress levels, and wearables use different technologies to detect these levels. The heart doesn’t beat to a steady rhythm, so heart rate variability (HRV) measures the variation in time between each heartbeat. A high heart rate variability is a good sign. Conversely, a low heart rate variability can be a potential sign of stress. Another way of measuring stress levels through a wearable, adopted by Fitbit, is using an electrodermal sensor. These sensors can detect subtle electrical changes in the sweat level of the skin, which can determine the body’s response to stress.

can learn a lot about your cardiovascular health by logging data 24/7. Heart rate tracking can also be used to monitor the following. Stress - Stress is a component of everyday life, but chronic stress can lead to serious health implications. The good news is that your smartwatch can help monitor

32 OCTOBER 2021

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