🔗 Share this article

An atmosphere of nervous excitement. I can see the chilled vapour emanating from my fellow runners as they execute the "about to run" shuffle on the beginning point.

A swift movement of the hips.

I'm lined up for my local weekly parkrun event and I'm focused. The countdown begins...

Hold on. I must start my device. As does the person beside me.

The person behind us tuts. I'm not moving until… there! Connection established, and I'm running.

In the mele, it's hard to spot a wrist without a fitness tracker on it. And this extends beyond us runners who use them.

It's a explosive, multi-billion pound sector. Names like Garmin are prevalent, each with an extensive selection of diverse versions to cater to a range of needs. Depending on how high tech the device you choose, prices can vary between an affordable sum to a small fortune.

"It drives me insane, I'm unable to switch off."

"It comforts me… It acts as a companion supporting me."

"I wish it wouldn't say I've had a restless night."

Just some of the reactions I've received from like-minded smartwatch wearers when I inquire what they feel about theirs.

The Monitoring Conundrum

My current opinion on my own device? Currently, annoying. It's reporting I'm not hitting my target, leading me to doubt whether the trees I'm passing under are disrupting my satellite signal.

A vast number of us fasten these little devices onto our wrists and wear them constantly, apparently unconcerned with the fact they're constantly recording us.

Gone are the days when we used them exclusively to give us an rough count of our daily steps. Currently, they can track our sleep patterns, stress levels, oxygen saturation, our recovery score.

It's tricky to find a bodily function they don't track.

But are they able to do what they advertise? And are the numbers we scrutinise a faithful picture of the truth? Do they enhance our daily wellness, or do the multitude of metrics and motivational messages just contribute to our daily stresses?

A Love-Hate Relationship

"I become a quite preoccupied with mine," an individual admits.

While she values how her device tracks her runs, she finds some of its other capabilities "overwhelming" at times - a feeling that became apparent during a significant period.

Until she found out she could change its configuration, her smartwatch constantly alerted her she was not being energetic enough. In a new phase, the watch insists her she's had a poor sleep score.

"I've got a young baby, there's no point to be notified I've not slept," she says. "That fact is perfectly well."

Is it not possible to just take it off?

"It's possible, theoretically, but I'm in this complicated dynamic with it," she continues. "I love it for its fitness insights, but I'm unsure whether all the other things it can now do is maybe overkill for me."

Inside the Device

Each model of smartwatch has its own proprietary way of monitoring your vitals and interpreting your data, but the most use sensors on the underside of the watch.

They usually shine small, green LED lights onto your wrist which can detect capillary action, detecting your pulse rate. More advanced devices analyse changes in the bioimpedance that passes over the skin to get an idea of your recovery state.

The Professional Viewpoint

A data scientist says that overall for smartwatches, it's a "delicate equilibrium" - while the rapidly advancing tech could potentially aid early diagnosis, "spotting abnormalities before we show symptoms", it could also turn us watch wearers into the "worried well".

He points out that the most advanced wearables can conduct tests like electrocardiograms (ECGs), which constantly monitor how normal the heart is. They can flag if someone is experiencing atrial fibrillation (AF), where there is irregular signals in the heart causing an irregular heartbeat.

This does not automatically signal someone is imminently going to suffer a heart attack, but it can give an preliminary indication they might be more vulnerable of a heart problem in the future.

But how to interpret these numbers is complicated. The expert fears that as additional features are added, people may find it hard to fully understand their data.

"I have some doubts that being able to monitor so much data is such a positive development," he says.

A clinical psychologist studying wearable tech agrees. Her work into the influence of wearable tech on a cohort of cardiovascular patients suggested a significant portion of those who were given devices to monitor their cardiac function experienced heightened worry and were "more inclined to use healthcare resources".

She observed a cycle with her patients - they saw a concerning reading on their watch. They felt anxious. Their pulse went up. They got more worried. They checked again, and their reading went up again.

"When people are presented with stats about ourselves that we don't really understand then, of course, we are going to want to know more," the psychologist says. "We check, we obsess - it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."