Fitness Watches May Increase Anxiety in Heart Patients
It seems like everyone has a fitness watch these days. They give us a lot of great information about how we live, and in terms of fitness goals, they’re a great tool to keep us accountable! However, fitness watches aren’t necessarily the best for heart patients! Researchers from the University of Copenhagen looked at 27 patient’s experiences with fitness watches. The patients measured their sleep, heart rates and physical activity. Although they learned more about their illness and they were motivated to exercise, they also got more anxious.
Study leader Tariq Andersen explains, “Our study shows that, overall, self-measurements are more problematic than beneficial when it comes to the patient experience. Patients begin to use the information from their Fitbits just as they would use a doctor. However, they don’t get help interpreting their watch data. This makes them unnecessarily anxious, or they may learn something that is far from reality.”
