4 Smartwatch Features That Track Your Overall Health Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Newest Smartwatches Move From Tracking Fitness to Monitoring Health

Added features can keep you heart-healthy — and may detect signs of COVID-19

Apple Watch Series 6 displaying a blood oxygen reading. Apple, Inc. The pandemic may have kept you a bit more stationary than you would have preferred these past couple of years. But because of and its variants, you may be more eager than ever to track your fitness activity and get a better handle on what’s happening inside your body. Insights into your health may come straight from your wrist. Apple’s latest Series 7 smartwatch, which starts at $399, coupled with the watch OS 8 software upgrade that some older models can take advantage of, can help you measure your cardio fitness and blood oxygen consumption while also detecting irregular heartbeats, excessive exposure to loud noises and how much sleep you’re getting. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The watches can even remind you to wash your hands periodically, with a 20-second countdown timer that may automatically kick in to ensure you’re washing long enough. And recent can summon should you fall and become immobilized. from Fitbit (now owned by Google), Samsung and other companies also are providing digital biomarkers that provide visibility into your health — well beyond the steps counted and calories burned that have long defined such devices. As for Google, it hasn’t revealed much publicly yet about its Pixel Watch, scheduled for a fall 2022 release. But this new watch will bake in some Fitbit features and run off the latest version of Google’s Wear OS software platform, the flavor of Android designed for wearables. Sleep tracking functions on a Fitbit Sense smartwatch device Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images “This is a new era where we have an opportunity to reach the patients outside the walls of the hospital,” says Nino Isakadze, M.D., a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore who studied atrial fibrillation (A-fib) and wristband technology during her residency. “Patients can be empowered by having this type of data, and be able to and be more aware of their health overall.” Smartwatches share data with companion health apps on your iPhone or Android devices. For those or other insurance plans, it’s worth noting that some smartwatches are available at a discount as a member benefit.

4 features on some smartwatches

1. Electrocardiogram. In 2018, Apple took a major step in putting power in the hands of consumers when it added an electrocardiogram app to its Series 4 Apple Watch models, which has carried over to the Series 5, Series 6 and Series 7. The app, which is called ECG rather than the more commonly known EKG abbreviation, can detect that is a major risk factor for blood clots and stroke, and has clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Google’s Fitbit also received regulatory clearance from the FDA for its own EKG app, now on the Fitbit Sense health-oriented watch and Charge 5 devices. And Samsung has added its own FDA-cleared heart-monitoring ECG app to the Galaxy Watch4, which starts at $300. Older models, such as the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2, which you might still find at reduced prices, also have the feature. Electrocardiograms measure the timing and strength of the electrical pulses that keep your heart pumping. On the Apple Watch, the ECG kicks into action when you launch the app and hold your finger against the digital crown, the home button on the upper right side of the watch, for 30 seconds. Electrodes are built into the back crystal and digital crown of the watch. If you receive a “sinus rhythm” result, it means the watch has detected a normal heartbeat, not A-fib. Regardless of the result, you’re urged to seek medical attention if you experience any symptoms. Apple makes it clear that its watch does not check for signs of a heart attack. and a lower number meaning more signs. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > Fitbit may and other mindfulness tools to help you manage the stress. But after a free trial period, you’ll have to service for a deeper dive into the metrics. The subscription costs $10 monthly or $80 annually. Another dedicated sensor on the Fitbit Sense can detect variations in skin temperature. This feature is not yet available on Apple or Samsung smartwatches. 3. Sleep tracking. Some devices, including high-end Fitbits and Galaxy smartwatches, track the quality of your slumber time right down to and the number of times you wake up in the middle of the night. Apple’s watch is more about setting up the conditions so you get a good night’s sleep, starting with a wind-down routine before bedtime. But it, too, will be adding the ability to detect sleep stages via the watch OS 9 software update coming in the fall. Of course, if you’re planning to sleep with any of the smartwatches, make sure they are charged before you go to bed, and if needed, give them some extra juice when you wake up. Only the Fitbit Sense had longer than a 24-hour in what PC Magazine considered normal use. 4. Blood oxygen. Fitbit, Garmin, Mobvoi and Samsung all have certain models that can measure blood oxygen levels. The Apple Series 6 and Series 7 obtain a measurement from a quartet of clusters of green, red and infrared LEDs on its rear and four photodiodes spaced and isolated between them to determine the color of your blood. Measurements are automatically collected throughout the day or when you’re asleep. You also can launch an app to take a manual reading by steadying your wrist on a table, with the watch display facing upward, tapping Start, and then waiting patiently while a timer counts down for 15 seconds. While most healthy adults report blood oxygen levels between 95 and 100 percent, what does a lower reading signify? is an indicator of early signs of circulatory, heart or lung function issues, such as , neurological problems or , says Leslie Saxon, M.D., a professor of medicine and executive director at the Center for Body Computing at the University of Southern California. Are Smartwatches Worth It?

Keep results in perspective br

Don’t freak out if any result is out of kilter, but see how it compares with your baseline. Yet don’t ignore warning signs either. “The most important thing is how one is feeling and the symptoms,” Isakadze says. “If someone is not feeling well, I would say no matter what the numbers show on the oxygen levels or the ECG, it would still be very important to seek care.” AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on home-family AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS