What is Wearable Technology, and Why Should You Care?

Wearable technology has become more popular over the last decade. It is similar to traditional mobile technology, except it is smaller and worn on the wrist like a watch.

But wearables are smart devices that can connect to other smart devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Examples include smartphones and tablets. That is why wearables are known as smartwatches.

Several tech manufacturers have created different variations of wearable technology. Most wearables are designed to help people improve their health and wellness.

For instance, they can track how many feet or miles you have walked in a given day and your current heart rate. Then you can set goals and reminders on the smartwatch to remember to get in your daily exercise.

Some wearables can do other things besides tracking a person’s health, such as sending and receiving emails. But for the most part, wearable technology is best used to improve your health and wellness. That is why you should care about it.

Here are the top five reasons why wearable technology can be a valuable asset in your life.

1) Fitness Tracking 

Wearables encourage people to take their health and wellness more seriously. When a wearable is strapped to your wrist, it can detect your heart rate, respiratory rate, number of steps taken, and the distance you travelled.

As a result, it is the perfect way to regulate your exercise regimen and get in the required amount of exercise needed per day. Some wearables will even warn you if you start to slow down or remain idle for too long.

2) Share Health Information with Medical Professionals 

Wearables are not only for personal use. Several medical professionals and insurers are encouraging their patients to use wearables so they can track their health from afar.

Then if a patient has a particular health problem, the information transmitted from the wearable could help the medical professional diagnose their patient’s health condition.

Some health insurance companies will even provide discounts on monthly premiums if their policyholders have wearables on their wrists for most of the day.

Actively monitoring your health and sending that information to a medical professional is a great way to ensure that you stay healthy for a long time. So, why not save money on your insurance in the process?

3) Life-Threatening Alerts and Predictions 

If you consistently keep the wearable technology attached to your body, it can start to predict health problems related to your heart and sleeping patterns. Perhaps you toss and turn in the middle of the night without realizing it.

Well, your wearable could detect this irregular sleeping pattern whenever it occurs. Then you would receive an alert on your wearable’s screen to let you know that you’re not getting a good night’s sleep.

When the wearable tracks and collects data about your heart rate for a long enough time, it will predict the potential health problems you could have in the near future. Some of which might include congestive heart failure, stroke, and diabetes.

Once you recognize these alerts, you can take the necessary actions to correct them.

The wearable will recommend the appropriate amount of movement needed to stay healthy based on your age and weight.

4) Promotes Self-Care 

Wearables empower people to take better care of themselves without needing a medical professional to guide them all the time.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should never see a physician. It just means you don’t need to see one as often because the wearable will track your heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, body temperature, and other health metrics.

Think about how much money you will save on healthcare costs if you empower yourself to manage and monitor your own health. You won’t have to rely on doctors to always provide this information to you.

5) Numerous Types of Wearable Technologies 

Wearable manufacturers are frequently developing new types of wearable products with unique and innovative functions.

The smartwatch is the most popular type of wearable product, but it is not the only one. The market now has smart belts, smart rings, smart shoes, smart glasses, and even smart socks.

Many of these smart wearables only have a few functions. For instance, a smart ring connects to your smartphone and vibrates or lights up whenever you receive a new notification message.

But if you need to track your health, there is no substitute for a smartwatch. No other wearable product compares to it.