Wearable technology—from smartwatches to virtual reality devices the last ten years has seen an explosion in innovation across the sector. Whether you're a rusted-on Pebble early adopter, a park runner with a Garmin, or simply someone curious about the Apple Watch, wearable technology has caught the attention of millions of Americans.

Those who have completed an online Masters in Counseling Psychology can appreciate how difficult it can be to untwist the relationship between tech fans and tech addicts—but what if I were to tell you that wearable tech is helping to drive a new generation of medical research? 

Consider this—a device on your hand monitoring your blood pressure, sleeping patterns, and general oxygen levels. In a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont, data from wearables is used to help understand the relationship between sleep and stress. Could wearables enable a brand new generation of medical research?

An Era of Nighttime Disturbances

Technology is something that's all around us. From mobile devices to computers, wearable devices, and increasing numbers of IoT (Internet of Things) items, Americans have more ways than ever before to put off the sleep gremlins and stay attached to their technology for just a little longer.

Recent data suggests that as many as nine in ten Americans use some form of technology in the hour before bed—with research from the National Sleep Foundation indicating that young people were more likely to use stimulating communications devices, such as smartphones, rather than passive devices, such as listening to music on a speaker.

There's an inherent problem with stimulating technology usage—particularly in the bedroom, where people are meant to rest and recharge after a busy day. When going to bed, your body needs to be able to wind down and relax—easy to do with few distractive stimulants in play, but much harder if your most recent actions were stimulating the mind and body through elements such as screen lighting and sounds.

In a world where wearing technology is becoming increasingly commonplace, understanding what can be done to provide high-quality sleep frequently is essential. It's well documented that a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep can lead to increased stress on the immune system—harming your body's ability to fight against infection and disease. Additionally, a lack of sleep can also increase the risks of contracting conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, conditions that adversely affect the lives of millions of Americans each year.

From Bicycle Computers to Modern Wearables

To understand how modern wearables came to be, we should first consider how professional athletes can operate at optimal performance. While it's somewhat straightforward to view the recordings of an event and provide feedback, having quantifiable data can help coaches provide detailed feedback on how an athlete's body is physically reacting during an event.

In 1981, the first commercial heart rate monitors became available to purchase, manufactured by Finnish sports instruments company, Polar. These heart rate monitors allowed for data to be collated and gathered while a user was wearing the watch—allowing for the analysis of cardiac output. This was particularly useful for runners, who sought to understand how their bodies were performing—whether slowing down or speeding up slightly could impact their performance during a race.

Around the same time, a similar innovation came to the cycling industry, with cycle computers that provided speed, distance and time traveled also hitting the market in the 1980s. Over time, it was recognized that with increasingly powerful and miniaturized computers, more and more data could be collated by devices such as heart rate monitors and cycle computers alike.

The late 2000s and 2010s saw a rapid emergence in modern wearables that could gather increasing amounts of health data. Companies such as Fitbit and Garmin came onto the market with digital sensors embedded in watches that could not only provide heart rate data but also track steps, sleep trends, and other critical healthcare data.

Tracking Stress During Sleep

In a recent study published in PLOS Digital Health, researchers from the University of Vermont investigated the data produced by a brand of healthcare wearable to identify whether stress levels could be determined simply by using data from a wearable device.

In the longitudinal study, more than 700 college students had healthcare data collated using data from a device known as an Oura ring. Datapoints collected included temperature, heart rate, nightly sleep duration, and breathing rate. Additional surveys were used to collect more subjective responses about emotions and stressors.

Results from the survey were promising—with data suggesting that wearable devices may be helpful in pre-emptively identifying which students may get the most benefit out of college mental health services.

One area of the data that was most interesting was the identification of health trends when comparing young women who identified as stressed. Interestingly, data looking at female participants in the research noted two distinct heart rate curves among women—notably, those who identified that they were experiencing anxiety or depression were finding it much harder to sleep than those who were not as stressed.

New Opportunities for Wearable Research

What other opportunities exist in the field of wearable research? As it turns out, the advent of modern, connected activity trackers provides a wealth of opportunities for researchers to understand healthcare data at a population-wide level.

Take, for example, heart conditions that are difficult to spot, such as arrhythmia, also known as atrial fibrillation. At a wider level, data can be collated and compared, helping to highlight patients who may have unusual heart rates—and to urgently flag data if something goes wrong, such as when author Adam Croft woke up in the middle of the night with his Apple Watch informing him that his heart was in atrial fibrillation.

Advancements in the size and variety of healthcare data will hopefully mean that researchers may be able to further develop cohort research into wearable users. Perhaps the next generation of wearables will not only provide valuable healthcare data to end users—but maybe even save a few lives while doing so.