Is It Possible I'm Hooked on This Wearable Device?
An atmosphere of nervous excitement. I can see the cold breath exhaled by my competitors as they do the "about to run" jiggle on the start line.
A swift movement of the hips.
I'm lined up for my local Saturday morning race and I'm focused. The countdown begins...
Wait a second. I must adjust my device. The same goes for the person alongside me.
The person in the line sighs. I won't start untilā¦ yes! GPS ready, away I go.
Amidst the crowd, it's challenging to spot a wrist without a fitness tracker on it. And this isn't only us runners who rely on them.
It's a explosive, multi-billion pound market. Names like Garmin are prevalent, featuring an extensive array of various versions to fit a variety of needs. Based on how feature-packed the model you select, price tags can start from an affordable sum to thousands of pounds.
"I find it infuriating, I can't stop checking."
"It provides solaceā¦ It's like a companion supporting me."
"I wish it wouldn't say I've had a poor sleep."
A handful of the responses people have shared from like-minded smartwatch wearers when I ask what they feel about theirs.
The Monitoring Conundrum
My thoughts on my own device? At this moment, frustrating. It's reporting my speed is wrong, leading me to doubt whether the trees along my route are blocking my GPS connection.
Millions of us attach these small devices onto our arms and wear them all day and night, ostensibly at ease with the fact they're perpetually monitoring us.
Long past are the days when we used them exclusively to give us an estimation of our pedometer reading. Currently, they can track our sleep quality, blood pressure, glucose levels, our body battery.
It's tricky to find a bodily function they fail to monitor.
But can they do what they say they do? And are the statistics we scrutinise a accurate representation of our actual health? Do they boost our overall health, or do the multitude of measurements and motivational messages just add to our sense of overwhelm?
Addiction or Aid?
"I find myself getting a quite preoccupied with mine," an individual admits.
While she values how her device monitors her exercise, she finds some of its other functions "daunting" at times - a feeling that became apparent during a significant period.
Before she realised she could put it into a specific mode, her smartwatch repeatedly informed her she was failing to be energetic enough. In a new phase, the watch insists her she's had a restless night.
"I've got a young baby, there's no point to be informed my sleep was poor," she says. "I'm acutely aware all too clearly."
Is it not possible to just take it off?
"It's possible, perhaps, but I have this push-pull dynamic with it," she continues. "I appreciate it for its workout tracking, I just wonder whether the myriad other functions it can now do is maybe overkill for me."
The Technology Behind the Tracking
Every device of smartwatch has its own unique way of measuring your health metrics and analysing your data, but the most use detectors on the back of the watch.
They usually shine tiny, coloured LED lights onto your skin which can monitor blood flow, recording your heartbeat. More advanced devices analyse changes in the bioimpedance that passes over the skin to assess your stress levels.
Expert Perspectives
A data scientist says that overall for smartwatches, it's a "fine balance" - while the ever-evolving tech could realistically prevent illness, "spotting abnormalities before we feel unwell", it could also turn us watch wearers into the "anxious healthy".
He points out that the most advanced wearables can perform tests like medical-grade monitoring, which continuously monitor how healthy the heart is. They can alert if someone is experiencing an irregular rhythm, where there is erratic impulses in the heart causing an arrhythmia.
This does not necessarily indicate someone is imminently going to suffer a heart attack, but it can give an advance notice they might be more vulnerable of a blood clot in the future.
But how to understand these figures is complex. The expert concerns that as additional features are incorporated, people may struggle to fully contextualise their data.
"I have some doubts that the ability to monitor so many things is such a beneficial thing," he says.
A professor specialising in patient behaviour agrees. A study into the effect of wearable tech on a cohort of cardiovascular patients suggested a significant portion of those who were given devices to monitor their condition experienced greater stress and were "more inclined to use medical services".
She identified a cycle with her patients - they spotted a alarming metric on their watch. They became worried. Their pulse went up. They got even more concerned. They looked a second time, and their anxiety went up again.
"If we see data about ourselves that we don't really understand then, of course, we are going to seek clarification," the psychologist says. "We look, we check again - it becomes a feedback loop."
