Wearable health tech: The pros and cons

We are in a time when we have devices we can wear that tracks and monitors our health. From smart watches to special ring that track health to even wrist bands, these devices monitor our heart rate, sleep cycle, level of fitness and so on. In a way, this has made us become analysts of our own health.

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These devices give us regular information about our health parameters, but the question remains, are we monitoring our health too much with these devices?

Wearable health tech are technological devices such as smart watches like apple watch, medical wearables (heart and glucose monitors), smart rings, etc. These devices track measures of our health like heart rate, sleep patterns and duration, amount of steps taken, level of oxygen. Some of them even monitor ECG.

Of course these devices have benefits which include:

1. Early detection of abnormalities in our health like abnormal heart rate or rhythm, abnormal breathing, or an unusual sleeping patterns
2. They help motivate us in terms of fitness. When these devices remind us how many steps we made in a day, we become motivated to do more if it’s not enough, just to maintain our fitness.
3. Managing chronic conditions: For cases like hypertension or heart disease, these devices help affected individuals monitor vital signs crucial to these conditions so that if they are going to abnormal levels that would further deteriorate the condition or have fatal effects, the individual would be alerted. This way, such chronic conditions can be managed and the person gets to live a longer life.
4. These tech devices also provide crucial health data upon which health professionals and the patient can make pertinent decisions.

Despite the benefits, wearable health tech also has its cons, which include:

1. Increased anxiety: Relying too much on these devices make us anxious when there is a slight variation in what it gives us. Most people begin to panic unnecessarily about their health when in truth, there’s nothing to be worried about. In other words, I can say it increases paranoia for some people.
2. Tendency for obsession: With these devices, some people may get obsessed with having better everything. Better sleep, better rest, better meal, better fitness. While it’s not bad to want to be better in all aspects of our health, it could get really obsessive for some and that could become a problem.
3. Giving false alarms: These wearable tech devices are not above mistake. Sometimes they could give us wrong information about our health and this could lead to panic that wasn’t supposed to be in the first place.

In conclusion, wearable health tech are wonderful in helping us track our health. They have in fact, saved lives. However there should be a balance in how we use and rely on them. We should know when to listen to our bodies, and not just these devices.