SMARTWATCHES CAN BOOST YOUR HEALTH - BUT THERE'S A CATCH, CONNECTICUT DOCTORS SAY

Technology has made it possible to wear your health on your sleeve.

Or on your wrist.

Or even your finger.

Wearable technology, from smartwatches to fitness trackers to smart rings to continuous glucose monitors  allow consumers to monitor health metrics including heart rate, body temperature, sleep quality, blood glucose models and, of course, steps taken. Wearable ownership has risen 33% in the U.S. since 2015, according to a June analysis from Rock Health. That research found that 57% of U.S. adults reported owning at least one wearable, with Smartwatches being the most commonly used device.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has said he wants all Americans to sport wearable devices by 2033, according to Reuters, claiming it will improve health monitoring and detect disease earlier. "People can take control over their own heath. They can take responsibility," he said, according to ABC News.  

The question is: Do these devices improve health and longevity or are they just one more device to check?

It depends on the user, said Dr. Rebecca Andrews of UConn Health. "Some people might find wearables very motivating," she said. "For others, it does induce this anxious checking. (Research is) finding that some people who use wearables to track sleep are becoming obsessed with chasing the metrics of their sleep to optimize sleep without a full understanding of the differences between REM and light sleep."

Dr. Alicia Masucci, an internist with Northwell Health, agreed. "For many people, these devices are genuinely motivating," she said, noting that studies have shown that those who wear activity trackers tend to walk more and be more active, which can lead to modest improvements in blood pressure, weight, waist circumference and cholesterol. On the other hand, she said, "for some patients, especially those who already struggle with health anxiety, constant monitoring or false alerts can create unnecessary worry. The American College of Cardiology has even cautioned that excessive symptom monitoring in otherwise healthy individuals may increase anxiety and lead to unnecessary medical evaluations."

Dr. Veeresh Kumar,  neurologist at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, said consumers should ask: "Who's using it? For what purpose? And what information are they trying to get out of it," he said. "You can look at it both ways." 

Studies have found certain devices can have a modest effect on health, especially when it comes to increasing physical activity. For instance, an umbrella review of 39 systematic reviews published in the Lancet in 2022 found that wearable activity trackers increased physical activity by about 1,800 steps a day and produced modest weight loss. But "there's a lot of information coming at us," said Dr. Husnain Kermalli, chief medical officer at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury. "If I have to wear something to sleep to find out how my sleep is, I am overthinking it." 

Moreover, Christopher Barrett, a dietitian-nutritionist with Hartford Health Care, said it's critical that the devices be valid, reliable and precise. "Let's be honest, Apple Watches were never made for health," he said. 

"These are not medical devices," said Kumar. "These are not something you can prescribe. It's not a treatment intervention. It's not a reliable weight-loss intervention. What people do is they say, 'I've done this many steps so now I can go out and eat ice cream.' Well, maybe you are putting back more (calories) than you have expended." 

Masucci said "heart rate tracking is actually pretty good, especially when you're at rest." She said it's a little less accurate during exercise "so I wouldn't rely on it for precise training, but it's certainly useful for most people." She pointed to a study that found that the devices "have become especially valuable is detecting abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation, although false alarms can happen, particularly in younger, healthier people."

  A study of more than 419,000 participants published in New England Journal of Medicine in 2019 found that smartwatch notifications for irregular pulse were rare but highly accurate. Among participants who received a notification, 84% were confirmed to have atrial fibrillation when the notification coincided with ECG monitoring, the study found. 

However, Andrews urged caution. "There's a lot of nuance to that study," she said. Only 2,000 study participants were notified of an abnormality and, in the end, only 84 of those had actual abnormalities, not all of which were atrial fibrillation. "Sure, for those 84 patients it was right. But we really have to look at the nuance."

What is important is what a person does with the data, said Kermalli. "Don't check your blood pressure every minute," he said. "Check it once a day at the same time." 

Kermalli said continuous glucose monitors, which tracks blood sugar (glucose), are generally unnecessary for anyone who is not diabetic or pre-diabetic. "If you're eating healthy and you're exercising regularly, everything should be just dandy," he said. 

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2026-07-16T12:31:37Z