Here are the Stats on Your Smartwatch That Actually Matter
Your smartwatch produces all kinds of information, but which bits should you care about?
Whether you have a smartwatch or are considering picking one up, it’s important to understand which health metrics may be of value to you. This article discusses which physiological measures can be tracked via smartwatches, and how to apply each one based on your own requirements. Remember, always do your research before choosing a device to buy so that it has all the features of importance to you. Each smartwatch will also have its own level of reliability, which is also worth investigating.
Heart Rate
Probably one of the most known features of the modern smartwatch, the optical heart rate sensor that lives on your device is worth caring about — most of the time. The wrist-based approach to tracking heart rate sees a technology called photoplethysmography used on all smartwatches. Using a LED light (normally green or red in color), one’s heart rate can be measured. Because a lower resting heart rate (when there’s no medication involved) indicates a more efficient heart and fitter individual, it is worth knowing where you stand.
For a few reasons, the heart rate monitor on a smartwatch is usually accurate during everyday activities, but it becomes less reliable when relying on it during gym-based exercise and when performing high-intensity interval training. The first issue is the ability of the wrist-based heart rate monitor to handle motion during exercise — especially exercise that consists of irregular movements like those performed in the gym.
This is also true for HIIT where the body is often in rapid motion. And this calls into question the other issue, which is that the wist-based HRM doesn’t often get optimal contact with the skin. This can be either due to movement or the device’s unideal fit for the anatomical shape of your wrist. So, for the most part, your smartwatch’s HRM is quite useful, but you shoulder consider getting a chest-strap HRM for your higher intensity activities.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
HRV is a measure of the time between your heartbeats. It is regulated by the autonomic…
