The article was made in collaboration with Mr. Alejandro Mauro, chief physician of the digital transformation of the clinic at Clínica Alemana.
Smart watches have become one of the most popular and demanded technologies in recent times. These accessories offer a variety of functions that go beyond showing the time and phone notifications. Some of these can be very useful to take care of our health and prevent possible accidents.
In this article we tell you about some of them.
thought of the heart
This function allows us to determine how much our heart beats per minute. A normal heart beat at rest is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Smartwatches can detect:
Electrocardiogram
There are models of stoma that make an electrocardiogram (ECG) from the wrist. This function allows you to measure the electrical activity of the heart and detect arrhythmias or other possible cardiac disorders. The results can be saved on the phone or shared with the doctor for a more accurate diagnosis.
But it should be known that there are pathologies that the ECG function cannot detect, such as heart attacks, thrombosis, strokes, among others.
Blood pressure
Your smartwatch serves as a “continuous blood pressure monitoring system”. If you suffer from hypertension problems, this will help your doctor a lot, as it will allow him to see the variations in your blood during the day and allow you to feel the fluctuations.
blood oxygen
Another function that can be very important is the measurement of the level of oxygen in the blood (SpO2). This is done by an optical sensor that emits red and infrared light into the skin and measures the amount of light that is reflected. Thus, the percentage of oxygen in the red blood cells can be estimated. Low blood oxygen levels can indicate respiratory problems, such as sleep apnea, asthma or covid-19.
It is considered low when the saturation is less than 90%.
Dream
Many of these watches allow us to measure and analyze the quality and quantity of our night’s rest. It monitors movement and heart rate sensors to detect different stages of sleep: light, deep, and REM. In addition, some models activate a sleep focus mode that limits distractions and notifications during the night.
With this information, smart watches can offer a personalized sleep score, as well as advice and recommendations for better rest habits.
stress levels
Stress is one of the main factors that affect our mental and physical health. For this reason, watches incorporate certain functions to help us manage and reduce energy. For example, one of these models has an application that measures our strength in terms of heart rate and other parameters. In addition, he offers tips and breathing exercises to relax.
Body temperature
This is another indicator of our health that we can control with a smart watch. Some watches have thermal sensors that measure skin temperature and alert us if the variation is abnormal. This can be useful for detecting infections, fevers, or hormone changes.
These are some of the smart watch features that can alert you to a potential condition and keep you informed about your health. In addition to these devices, it also allows us to monitor other aspects such as physical activity, calories burned, steps taken or receive notifications from your German. Go when your test results are available. All of this is aimed at leading us to a more active and healthy life.
Want to discuss your smartwatch data with one of our experts? Do it from wherever you are through our telemedicine service.
