By Angie Kalousek Ebrahimi, Blue Shield of California senior director of Lifestyle Medicine
Technology has upleveled many parts of our lives, and health care is no exception. Smartwatches and health trackers, also known as wearables, have gone from being a trend to an important tool for millions, helping people track key health metrics for both preventive care and chronic disease management.
Wearables are devices that attach to your person and provide biometric data about how your body is functioning. They can provide feedback to help monitor your wellness and advance fitness goals.
Smartwatches are the most common wearable, but there are quite a few options — from rings to patches, to trackers for single metrics or multiple markers, these devices come in several forms to fit the needs and comfort of the wearer.
What wearables can track
Today, wearables have moved beyond just step tracking and heart rate monitoring — they can help you keep an eye on a variety of data points including sleep, stress and blood glucose. A few of these include:
- Stress monitoring: Stress detection features have been incorporated into smart devices using data from heart-rate variability (HRV). HRV is a marker of stress, and wearables can alert you when stress levels are rising, offering reminders for deep breathing exercises or mindfulness techniques to reduce anxiety.
- Sleep tracking: Poor sleep quality is both a cause and symptom of stress. Wearables that track sleep patterns can help you identify issues like inadequate sleep or disruptions. These insights can encourage better sleep hygiene.
- Blood sugar/ glucose levels: Wearables also make a significant impact on the management of chronic conditions. Diabetes, for example, is one of the most common chronic diseases, and wearable glucose monitors provide real-time insights into blood sugar levels. These monitors sometimes require a prescription, but over-the-counter options are becoming increasingly available.
- Activity tracking: These devices help you to understand your heart rate zones during various activities so you can improve your heart health.
For me, wearables have helped my personal health journey by keeping me aware of the amount of restorative time I have each day, and how stress is affecting my overall health.
Most importantly, always be sure to discuss your findings with a healthcare professional, who will be able to interpret the data accurately and provide guidance on your health management.
Resources
Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts: The good news is that the cost of some personal health wearables are covered by Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). These accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for medical expenses, which can significantly reduce the financial burden of getting a device that helps manage your wellness.
Wellvolution: Blue Shield of California members can enroll in Wellvolution, a digital lifestyle platform that can be added to your smart device. Available to most members at no added cost, Wellvolution offers programs such as WeightWatchers, Headspace and Habitnu that provide personal coaching, as well as education on the importance of a healthy diet, sleep and stress management, exercise and smoking cessation. Some Wellvolution programs also offer wearables to support your health journey, such as a digital weight scale, glucometer or blood pressure monitor.