Nancy Chen, a Brooklyn-based boxing instructor, said the Apple Watch has helped her get more out of her training.
But it wasn’t until her watch broke, she said, that she realized it was exacerbating her unhealthy behavior.
“Throughout college, I struggled with an eating disorder off and on,” Chen told ABC News. “I realized I hadn’t worn them for about three months. [the watch], that really helped confirm that I was like, overcoming my eating disorder. ”
Experiences like Chen’s are common among users of these devices, according to medical experts, who point out some of the potential downsides of relying on these devices and data. That’s not an unusual thing.
Dr. Rebecca Robbins, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, told ABC News: “Some people have flaws, and this is often found in people who really seek perfection in many aspects of their lives.”
Many users could benefit from knowing their fitness level, sleep quality, and other general health indicators.
In August 2021, Christopher Oakley, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, appeared to be suffering from a heart attack before his departure, but readings from his Apple Watch led skeptical doctors to believe he had a heart attack. He said that he was able to convince them that According to ABC affiliate WLOS, the man returned home and was taken to a hospital.
Apple did not provide comment to ABC News when asked about its devices.
The Apple ECG app cannot detect heart attacks, blood clots, strokes, or other heart conditions, and users should contact emergency services or a medical professional if they don’t feel well, according to the company’s website.
Some of the technology companies developing the devices said their goal is to ensure users have the best information about their workouts, but said they are working to create a better balance. Ta.
“I think just being able to visualize what your body is doing and how your health is doing is a good thing,” Shelton Yuen, Fitbit’s director of research, told ABC. told the news.
Brooklyn resident Sarah Madaus told ABC News that she first started using Fitbit to track her workouts and health.
“For a while, I felt successful because I looked at my weekly stats and was like, ‘Wow, you did a great job,’” she said.
She then asked her parents for an Apple Watch, which she now admits became a “choking thing” for her.
“I was like, ‘Oh, you didn’t close the ring today.’ And I was like, ‘I better try harder. I’m sorry, you guys can’t come to the party, I can’t go to dinner.'” Madaus said.
A 2017 study of college students published in the medical journal Eating Behaviors found that while fitness tracker use was associated with higher rates of eating disorder symptoms in some people, it did not necessarily influence the behavior. It turns out that it doesn’t cause it.
Research shows that anxiety around wearables isn’t limited to food.
In one case study, a woman diagnosed with atrial fibrillation developed health concerns after performing nearly 1,000 ECG recordings on her smartwatch.
“When you’re bombarded with constant information about your heart, your sleep, your weight, your fitness level, all of these things…I think a lot of the problem comes from the fact that we don’t understand a lot of those things.” Or the expectation of understanding the individual,” Dr. Tom Hildebrandt, associate professor of psychiatry at Ichan College of Medicine, told ABC News.
Some tech companies are taking a different approach to trackers.
Oura Ring wears on the user’s finger and has no screen to display training or health information. Users can check their data on their mobile phones or computers.
Shyamal Patel, head of science at Oura Ring, told ABC News that the company’s devices and apps are built with user control in mind.
“You may want to adjust your activity goals or you can actually turn off calorie tracking,” he said.
Yuen also told ABC News that Fitbit devices also allow users to stop tracking certain metrics.
“We strive to meet our users where they are, to help them set and achieve the goals they care about,” he said.
Hildebrandt said people who feel too overwhelmed by trackers or apps should stop using them for a week or two and see how they feel mentally and physically.
Chen and Madaus told ABC News that they were able to train better after they stopped using the Apple Watch.
“I think it allowed me to focus on training and it was very private,” Chen said.
“You can focus more on the mind-muscle connection and how active you feel,” Madaus said.