Your Fitbit is about to get an important new feature
Using activity levels, sleep and heart rate data
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Fitbitis launching a new stress-tracking tool for almost all of its existingfitness trackersandsmartwatches, which will let you see how your body is coping with the pressures of your everyday life.
The new feature works by analyzing your sleep, activity levels and heart rate, so it will only be available on devices with an optical heart rate sensor. That’s almost the entire line-up, but owners of the originalFitbit Inspirewill miss out.
Stress tracking won’t be available for kids' devices like the recently launchedFitbit Ace 3, either. The expected resting heart rate for a child changes as they grow, so watches in the Ace range don’t have a sensor (which has the added bonus of keeping their price down).
Keep your cool
If you have aFitbit Premiumsubscription, you’ll be able to check out a detailed breakdown of your stress patterns over time, based on this data.
Premium users also have access to various mindfulness sessions, including the recently introduced set of meditation sessions led byDeepak Chopra, which are regularly updated with new content.
It’s worth noting that this type of stress tracking is different to that used by theFitbit Sense, which launched last year. The Sense monitors stress levels using by using a multi-path electrical sensor to monitor EDA (electrodermal activity) responses when you place your palm over the device. Sweat caused by an adrenal response makes your skin more conductive, which results in more EDA responses.
It’s not perfect (EDA responses are affected by physical as well as mental stress) but can be a useful indication of your mental state.
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You can then use theFitbitapp to see how these responses change according to factors like sleep and activity, and log any events during the day that may have affected your stress levels (like meetings at work, for example). This knowledge can help you become more aware of events that are stressful for you, and manage them better with mindfulness techniques.
Cat is TechRadar’s Homes Editor specializing in kitchen appliances and smart home technology. She’s been a tech journalist for 15 years, and is here to help you choose the right devices for your home and do more with them. When not working she’s a keen home baker, and makes a pretty mean macaron.
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