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The first thing that always crosses my mind when testing the portable fitness devices is the precision of the data. Smart watches And fitness trackers are not cheap, and if you use them to monitor something as crucial as your health, then precision is important.
Everyone and their brother wear a kind of fitness trackerWhether it’s a Apple Watch,, Google Pixel Watch,, Oura Ring Or Cry. It is estimated that one in three American uses a portable device For health and fitness monitoring features. It brings me back if these things can trust. If they are not exact … what is it for? Should we all return to Analog?
Researchers from the University of Mississippi have led a Meta-analysis of 56 studies This compared the Apple Watch with reference tools when the factors are measured such as heart rate, number of steps and burned energy. Although there is always an expected error, we have a more final response on the quantity of stock that you need to put in the figures you see on your watch.
Apple watches are good for measuring steps and heart rate
The results of the meta-analysis show that the Apple Watch precisely measures your heart rate and your number of steps. We know this on the basis of the average measurement of errors in absolute percentage (the standard means of measuring precision) reported for each health metric.
The heart rate had a percentage error of 4.43%, while the number of steps had an error of 8.17%. Everything that is less than 10% is considered to be excellent, so you should feel confident enough in what your Apple Watch says that your heart rate and your number of steps are for the day.
However, you should not count on the metric of energy expenditure
The same cannot be said for energy expenses or burnt calories. The percentage of error for this metric was 27.96%. It is a leap in inaccuracy. The researchers found inaccurate energy expenses in all the activities tested, including walking, running, mixed intensity training and bicycle.
This is not a new problem. Several studies have shown that smart watches and trackers do not do a great job of Calculation of calories burn. They can be deactivated from 40% to 80%. A different study revealed that the Apple Watch Series 9 can vary in energy expenditure and heart rate measures through skin pigmentation.
Although this study is specific to Apple watches, I expect similar trends on other devices because they often measure the same way. A study revealed that Fitbit’s overvoltage had an average error of 27% when Measure the calories burned.
Intelligent watches calculate How many calories you burn Throughout the day, using factors such as your movements, your heart rate and your sensor data inside the watch. Other factors, such as your age, weight and gender, are also included in this calculation. None of them will be 100%precise.
Where does that leave you as well as your data?
This news does not scare me as a smartwatch carrier who uses my daily data to follow my training sessions and sleep. I always think that the data smartwatches give us is a great way to remain motivated.
I used the Google Pixel 3 watch for Watch my heart health Thanks to the cardio load metric. Regarding sleep, I noticed an imprecision with regard to when I fall asleep and wake up, although it is not a huge difference. Most trackers use your heart rate and movement to Follow your sleepIt is therefore not surprising to see a certain degree of error. There is always an error, and for my use, it’s okay. I use my data for the trends in my progress, rather than extremely granular data. Although if you are a serious athlete that follows calorie, it is essential not to count on your smartwatch for this issue.
Your intelligent watch is a tool to guide you throughout your wellness journey. Use it to build habits and make significant changes, not to diagnose medical conditions. That said, I wouldn’t count Smartwatch features such as Apple’s vital application, fall detection or Chicken loss detection Works that Google Pixel watches get.
Apple and other brands are continuously publish updates to improve their technology over time. And if you wonder What smart watch you should get For the best precision, it is difficult to say. They have all their own follow -up methods, even if they overlap. None of them is perfect, it is therefore preferable to choose the one that best corresponds to your budget and your atmosphere.
