TechSmartwatchesTickety boo: 8 smartwatch features to keep your heart in checkFrom detecting heart rate irregularities to keeping your heart strong via exercise suggestions, here’s how smartwatches can help your cardiovascular system stay strongWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechSmartwatchesTickety boo: 8 smartwatch features to keep your heart in checkFrom detecting heart rate irregularities to keeping your heart strong via exercise suggestions, here’s how smartwatches can help your cardiovascular system stay strongWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
From detecting heart rate irregularities to keeping your heart strong via exercise suggestions, here’s how smartwatches can help your cardiovascular system stay strong
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Apple/Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels)
(Image credit: Apple/Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels)
February is heart health month – an excellent time to remember that we probably don’t pay enough attention to our cardiovascular system. Unless you wear a smartwatch, of course, in which case you can gather a lot more information about your heart health than others.
Thebest smartwatchesare superb wearables to monitor overall health, and they are especially well-suited to keep tabs on your ticker.Apple Watches, in particular, have many features that enable you to make better decisions about your health.
Whether you make those decisions is up to you, but at least you’ll know about any underlying issues you might have or lousy lifestyle habits you should omit. Below, we collected nine smartwatch features to help you stay cardio-healthy this year and beyond.
1. 24/7 heart rate tracking
The most important smartwatch feature to help you closely monitor your heart health is the optical heart rate sensor (OHR), which most wearables come equipped with today. OHRs usually consist of an array of LEDs that can detect heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and often even respiration rate.
That said, all wearables can help you see trends in heart rate, which can be an indicator of illness or a sign of improved cardiovascular performance.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
2. ECG
ECG (electrocardiogram) is a relatively new addition to the smartwatch feature that assesses your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. ECG tests are easy to initiate and don’t take too long to perform, either, and similarly to other health and fitness modes, they don’t require external accessories.
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For example, theApple Watch’s ECG app uses the electrical heart sensor built into the Digital Crown and the back crystal to record a single-lead ECG. The recorded waveform, results, date, time, and symptoms can be exported from the Health app as a PDF to share with a clinician.
Another company proud of its ECG prowess is Withings. The company’s ScanWatch 2 has a ‘medical-grade’ ECG that can detect a potential cardiac anomaly and get a cardiovascular assessment in 30 seconds.
3. Irregular heart rate notifications
Irregular rhythm might be suggestive of atrial fibrillation, or AFib for short. Apple describes AFib as a type of irregular heart rhythm where the upper chambers of the heart beat out of sync with the lower chambers.
AFib affects men more than women, according to theUK’s National Health Service, adding that it is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around 1.4 million people in the UK.
(Image credit: Polar Elektro)
(Image credit: Polar Elektro)
4. VO2 max estimations/ cardio fitness
Detecting heart rate irregularities is one thing; making sure they don’t happen due to a sedentary lifestyle is another. No matter how accurately your smartwatch can track your heart rate, it won’t be able to offset the negative impact of sitting in the office 8-9-10 hours a day.
The higher the number, the better, and although VO2 Max does decline with age, it can be kept at a high level no matter how old you are. Conversely, a low VO2 Max number is associated with a risk of serious long-term health conditions.
Regular cardio-based exercise can help improve VO2 Max; many wearables, such as the bestGarminwatches, can even recommend workouts to build around your recovery score, training load, and more.
5. Low/high heart rate notifications
Similar to how smartwatches can detect signs of AFib, wearables can also identify unusually high or low heart rates when you are at rest, which could be signs of a serious underlying condition.
When this happens, the smartwatch sends a notification. If you receive these notifications frequently, visiting your health practitioner for a more thorough check op might be a good idea.
If you’re wearing an Apple Watch and your heart rate is above 120 bpm or below 40 bpm while you appear inactive for 10 minutes, you will receive a notification. The threshold bpm can be adjusted in the settings.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
6. Heart rate recovery
Garmin describesrecovery heart rate as “your heart’s ability to return to a normal rate after an activity within a specific amount of time.” As a general rule of thumb, the faster this drop, the healthier the individual.
Your heart rate dropping quickly could mean your heart is better accustomed to exercise and is stronger. As with most other metrics, a good heart rate recovery rate can’t be forced; the best way to improve it is to exercise regularly and make sure your sleep and diet support your workout efforts.
This might sound like a lot of effort, but it seemed to be the case with more and more people. In aninterview with Paul Werring, CEO of Polar, he said, “In the past, sports were an enabler for good health. Nowadays, it’s turning around. Today, health is an enabler to perform better at sports."
As more people optimise their lives around physical performance, indicators such as heart rate recovery become more important.
7. Heart rate variability trends
A healthy heart doesn’t beat like a metronome. Heart rate variability (HRV) is aninteresting metricas it measures the fluctuation in the time intervals between adjacent heartbeats.
HRV is often measured during sleep, so you must wear your wearable in bed to know your HRV.Smart ringsare deemed less cumbersome to wear during sleep and can often track HRV.
That said, most smartwatches are capable of tracking both sleep and HRV, so there is no need to invest in an additional intelligent wearable if you already have a smartwatch.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
8. Blood pressure
Not many smartwatches can measure blood pressure at present. These include theSamsung Galaxy Watch 6and theHuawei Watch D, both of which have a different approach to measuring blood pressure.
Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping an eye on your blood pressure, as well as all the other metrics listed above, using a smartwatch – it’s not only easy, but it can potentially save your life!
Today’s best smartwatch dealsApple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular$193.65ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Series 9$415.49ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra$19.45ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra 2$799$759ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 965$587.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 265$449.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 745$419ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Watch6$279.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best smartwatch dealsApple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular$193.65ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Series 9$415.49ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra$19.45ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra 2$799$759ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 965$587.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 265$449.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 745$419ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Watch6$279.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best smartwatch dealsApple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular$193.65ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Series 9$415.49ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra$19.45ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra 2$799$759ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 965$587.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 265$449.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 745$419ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Watch6$279.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best smartwatch deals
Apple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular$193.65ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Series 9$415.49ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra$19.45ViewSee all pricesApple Watch Ultra 2$799$759ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 965$587.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 265$449.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 745$419ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Watch6$279.99ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular$193.65ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular$193.65ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular
Apple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular
$193.65View
$193.65
$193.65
See all prices
Apple Watch Series 9$415.49ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Series 9$415.49ViewSee all prices
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See all prices
Apple Watch Ultra$19.45ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Ultra$19.45ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Ultra
Apple Watch Ultra
$19.45View
$19.45
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Apple Watch Ultra 2$799$759ViewSee all prices
Apple Watch Ultra 2$799$759ViewSee all prices
Garmin Forerunner 965
Garmin Forerunner 965
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Garmin Forerunner 265$449.99ViewSee all prices
Garmin Forerunner 265$449.99ViewSee all prices
Garmin Forerunner 265
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Garmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all prices
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Garmin Forerunner 745$419ViewSee all prices
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Samsung Galaxy Watch6$279.99ViewSee all prices
Samsung Galaxy Watch6$279.99ViewSee all prices
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We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
TOPICSapple watch
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