Wearable technology has come a long way since its introduction into the market. It has transformed into a significant tool for monitoring different aspects of our lives, from daily activities to fitness and, most recently, emotional wellbeing. Emotions play a vital role in our daily lives, affecting our relationship with ourselves and others. People have searched for a long time for ways to manage their stress, anxiety, and depression, which are the leading mental health conditions.
According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety have become the leading cause of disability worldwide, with an estimated 264 million people affected. Therefore, the integration of wearable technology with emotional wellbeing is of utmost importance. It helps people interested in self-improvement to keep track of their mental health while providing insights and making recommendations based on the collected data. Additionally, wearable technology is more convenient and less intrusive than traditional mental health diagnosis and management methods.
What are Wearables?
Wearables are pieces of technology that you can wear as an accessory or clothing. They are a part of the Internet of Things (IoT) and possess advanced sensors capable of collecting personal data, such as heart rate, sleep quality, and fitness activities. Wearables come in different forms, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and medical monitoring devices. These devices collect data through sensors that are attached to them.
Most wearable devices are synced to mobile applications or web apps, which provide visualizations of the collected data. The mobile applications use the collected data to give different recommendations and personalized insights, particularly in fitness activities.
As there have been rapid advancements in technology, it is worth taking a look at how wearables are helping to promote emotional wellbeing.
How Wearables Can Promote Emotional Wellbeing?
The rise of wearable technology has made people more conscious of their health and wellbeing. Wearable technology has now become a valuable tool all around the world and has now caught the attention of mental health professionals who see its worth for mental health awareness, management, and promotion.
Here are some ways in which wearable technology is promoting emotional wellbeing:
Managing Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are two of the most common mental disorders experienced by people worldwide, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting millions. Wearables such as smartwatches come with mindfulness applications that provide daily mindfulness and meditation by helping users identify where they are stressing.
These apps offer deep breathing, relaxation methods, and real-time coaching methods that personalize user coping mechanisms. These mental apps offer a broader range of guided meditations with peaceful sessions, which is a way to walk the anxiety off and reduce stress levels.
Monitoring Sleep Patterns
Wearables such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and sleep trackers are equipped with an accelerometer that detects the movement which translates into time asleep and awake.
The data collected will help you understand the quality and length of sleep, how long you have been in deep sleep, and the heart rate during sleep. This data assists in creating sleep goals, assists in increasing the amount of sleep and offering recommendations for creating better sleep hygiene.
Monitoring Physical Exercise and Diet
Physical exercise and diet are essential for emotional wellbeing. Wearables can track the number of steps taken per day, calories burned during workouts, how much you eat and drink, and the nutritional value of food.
All of that data can help users to develop a routine for daily exercises and encourage them to maintain a healthy diet. They can monitor caloric intakes and their overall sugar consumption to ensure balanced nutrition.
How Wearables Help in Emotional Wellbeing Monitoring?
Mental health monitoring involves tracking, analyzing data, and interpreting the results. Wearable technology has become increasingly important in emotional wellbeing, offering a way to track and analyze data on an individual’s mental state.
Wearable devices can help monitor the subconscious, detect stress by interpreting user heart rate data, Sweating, Skin temperature, Body movements, and ambient temperature. This data is used to track fluctuations in stress levels for wearable devices users, offering a better understanding of their emotional state.
The device tracks the physical symptoms related to anxiety or stress, helping users understand the triggers. More tips, remedial actions, and clinical advice are then provided through the use of wearable apps.
The Limitations of Wearables
Despite the numerous benefits and possibilities that come with wearables, there are also downsides. Here are some of the limitations of wearables:
Cost
Wearables are expensive, and not everyone can afford to purchase a new device or keep up with the latest release. And, for those who own wearable devices, there’s the added expense of the subscription fees for additional premium features and app upgrades.
Privacy
Smartwatches and other wearable devices collect personal data, which makes privacy an issue for users. It is essential to ensure that the data collected is adequately protected and secure from potential cyber-attacks.
Reliability
Wearable technology operates relying on the sensors. The effectiveness or efficiency of the data collected is highly contingent on the accuracy of the data collected from these sensors. It is also true that wearables possess varying degrees of accuracy. Like in heart rate monitors, the readings can be influenced by the skin tone and cardiovascular health of the user.
Conclusion
Wearables can help to set goals, monitor our progress, and provide recommendations for better management of our emotional wellbeing. These devices play a vital role in promoting emotional well-being as we continue to combat depression, anxiety, and stress.
It is important to remember that wearables are not replacements for professional medical diagnosis and treatment by mental health professionals. However, in an age where technology is ever-evolving, combining emotional well-being with wearable technology is a significant development.
Wearable technology offers a more convenient and accessible way to track and manage emotional wellbeing and helps to create an awareness of emotional wellbeing issues and integrate healthy habits that make for a healthy and more satisfying life.
