{"id":2321,"date":"2025-12-21T14:58:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T13:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T14:59:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T13:59:48","slug":"does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Does a smartwatch help your health?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Smartwatches are also known as wearables. They are increasingly the norm among individuals concerned with sleep and health. The smart watches have various sensors that check important vitals such as heart rate and the number of steps you take in a day. But can they also track your sleep and is it really good for your health or sleep?    In this blog, we provide the answer.<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Content:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #003f73;color:#003f73\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #003f73;color:#003f73\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/#What_can_a_smartwatch_do\" >What can a smartwatch do?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/#Can_a_smartwatch_provide_better_sleep\" >Can a smartwatch provide better sleep?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/#Why_dont_unhealthy_people_use_smart_watches\" >Why don&#8217;t unhealthy people use smart watches?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/#Who_does_use_them\" >Who does use them?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/does-a-smart-watch-help-your-health\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-wat-kan-een-smartwatch-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_can_a_smartwatch_do\"><\/span><strong>What can a smartwatch do?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>What all you can do with a smartwatch depends on your budget. Some are simple pedometers, while other smartwatches include every possible feature. In general, you can track things like your heart rate, monitor physical activity and, of course, track your sleep.  <\/p>\n\n<p>We start right off with a disclaimer, because not everyone understands the information a smartwatch gives you, let alone the information you get is correct. Therefore, it is possible to become obsessed with the results. This is referred to today as <strong>orthosomnia<\/strong>. The mental pressure and tension that can arise when you focus too much on sleep actually causes you to sleep worse and can eventually even lead to disrupted sleep. <\/p>\n<div style=\"gap: 20px;\" class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\" id=\"ub-button-0746798b-4926-47dd-9ca4-7b4e74b48c55\"><div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/orthosomnie-obsessie-voor-perfecte-slaap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" role=\"button\" style=\"--ub-button-background-color: #313131; --ub-button-color: #ffffff; --ub-button-border: none; --ub-button-hover-background-color: #313131; --ub-button-hover-color: #ffffff; --ub-button-hover-border: none; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-radius: 10px; \">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\" style=\"flex-direction: row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Meer weten over orthosomnie?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Of course, this does not mean that you cannot use a smartwatch to improve your health. For example, a recent study by the Cardiovascular Data Science lab at Yale suggests that there is a group of people who would benefit tremendously from a smartwatch, but instead do not use it. More on this later.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"748\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kan-een-smartwatch-zorgen-voor-betere-slaap.webp?resize=748%2C363&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Can a smart watch provide better sleep\" class=\"wp-image-1565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kan-een-smartwatch-zorgen-voor-betere-slaap.webp 748w, https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Kan-een-smartwatch-zorgen-voor-betere-slaap-480x233.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 748px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-kan-een-smartwatch-zorgen-voor-een-betere-slaap-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_smartwatch_provide_better_sleep\"><\/span><a><\/a><strong>Can a smartwatch provide better sleep?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Most smartwatches can also track your sleep patterns, provided, of course, that you wear the smartwatch at night. Indeed, the watch claims to measure when you are deep asleep, or lightly asleep. The watch can also detect if you have woken up and, of course, how long you sleep.  <strong>Really distinguishing between sleep stages, that&#8217;s really not the case yet.<\/strong>  The sensors are incomplete and too limited to do this properly. The time in that you spend in deep sleep and REM sleep is shining nicely in your app, but rest assured that the numbers are seriously off from reality. <\/p>\n\n<p>All this data is nice to see and can obviously help with the diagnosis of poor sleep. However, you can also blind yourself to the numbers and graphs when your sleep may be fine.  And more importantly, <strong>there is a lot of information missing that you can measure with a real sleep measurement, the polysomnography. <\/strong>The lack of an EEG measurement, for example, means that you really have to be careful with what your smartwatch tells you.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Everyone has their own need for sleep. A smartwatch can tell you if you are sleeping too much or too little, but this can vary from person to person. For example, it matters a lot what age you are. Your physical condition and also your mental health can play a role.   <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>So don&#8217;t stare blindly at a smartwatch&#8217;s sleep data.  <\/strong>Especially if you already sleep poorly, it is better to leave the watch off. Keep a sleep diary in consultation with a doctor, sleep coach or sleep expert and trust your body. The data are simply too inaccurate to give you good, expert advice.  <\/p>\n\n<p>It can be a very useful tool to make your sleep more insightful, but make sure you remain realistic about the results and your expectations. Also, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartwatchbanden.nl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">smartwatch band<\/a> has an impact on the precision of heart rate measurement. Keep in mind that the data are never 100 percent accurate.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-waarom-gebruiken-ongezonde-mensen-geen-slimme-horloges-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_dont_unhealthy_people_use_smart_watches\"><\/span><strong>Why don&#8217;t unhealthy people use smart watches?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>The reasons could be found in the age, education and income of people at risk of cardiovascular disease. The research was presented at the American Heart Association&#8217;s Scientific Sessions 2022 conference in Chicago. <\/p>\n\n<p>  The study was conducted by Lovedeep Dhingra and colleagues. They analyzed health information from 9,303 US adults who responded to a 2019-2020 survey. It targeted participants with cardiovascular disease or at risk for cardiovascular disease, such as those with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, smoking or obesity.  <\/p>\n\n<p>It looked at use among patients of different age groups, gender, education, income levels and various racial and ethnic groups. The analysis showed that people at risk for cardiovascular disease were less likely to use wearable devices. <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"513\" height=\"305\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Waarom-ongezonde-mensen-geen-slim-horloge.webp?resize=513%2C305&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Why unhealthy people don't have a smart watch\" class=\"wp-image-1566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Waarom-ongezonde-mensen-geen-slim-horloge.webp 513w, https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Waarom-ongezonde-mensen-geen-slim-horloge-480x285.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 513px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-wie-gebruikt-ze-wel-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_does_use_them\"><\/span><strong>Who does use them?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>An estimated 3.6 million people with cardiovascular disease and 34.4 million people at risk of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. use wearables. That amounts to only 18% of all people with cardiovascular disease and 26% of all people at risk for cardiovascular disease. <\/p>\n\n<p>By comparison, 29% of the total US adult population uses wearables. <strong>Only 12% of people with cardiovascular disease older than 65 use wearables<\/strong>, although it is estimated that half of all people with cardiovascular disease are older than 65.<\/p>\n\n<p>In comparison, 17% of those with cardiovascular disease aged 50 to 64 reported using wearables, and 33% of those aged 18 to 49 with diagnosed cardiovascular disease used wearables.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>While 22% of all people at risk of heart disease are 65 or older<\/strong>, only 14% of older patients at risk of heart disease use wearables.  <\/p>\n\n<p>People with cardiovascular disease with an<strong> annual household income of $50,000 or more are four times more likely to use wearables<\/strong> than those with an annual household income of less than $20,000.<\/p>\n\n<p>Higher education, such as a university degree (post-baccalaureate degree) was associated with 3.6 times higher use of wearables than people with lower levels of education.<\/p>\n\n<p>More than 80% of those at risk for cardiovascular disease responded that they would be willing to share the health information collected by their wearable device to improve their health care.<\/p>\n\n<p>Differences in willingness to share health data among different demographic subgroups were small (age group, gender, race and ethnicity, education level and household income).<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/is-asmr-good-for-your-sleep\/\">Also read,<strong> &#8220;Is ASMR good for your sleep?&#8221;<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-conclusie-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>&#8220;We were surprised that people with cardiovascular disease were significantly less likely to use wearables than those without cardiovascular disease, suggesting that those who are most likely to benefit from these technologies seem less likely to use them,&#8221; Dhingra said.<\/p>\n\n<p>&#8220;We must ensure that wearables reach the people who need them most by improving equal access and promoting wearables as health devices to improve health and reduce health disparities.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-meestgestelde-vragen-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle wp-block-ub-content-toggle-block\" id=\"ub-content-toggle-block-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" data-mobilecollapse=\"false\" data-desktopcollapse=\"false\" data-preventcollapse=\"false\" data-showonlyone=\"false\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion\" style=\"border-color: #f1f1f1; \" id=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-block-f53679c2-f578-4811-a1d7-8c75668134d5\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-title-wrap\" style=\"background-color: #f1f1f1;\" aria-controls=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-0-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-title ub-content-toggle-title-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" style=\"color: #000000; \"><strong>Hoe gezond is een smartwatch?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-toggle-wrap right\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><span class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-state-indicator wp-block-ub-chevron-down open\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-expanded=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-content-wrap\" id=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-0-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\">\n\n<p>How healthy a smartwatch is depends completely on how you use it. You can get a lot of data from it about your activities and sports. Improving your sleep with a smartwatch is virtually impossible with today&#8217;s knowledge.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion\" style=\"border-color: #f1f1f1; \" id=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-block-1cb97e29-0127-4530-b168-c027aa723474\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-title-wrap\" style=\"background-color: #f1f1f1;\" aria-controls=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-1-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-title ub-content-toggle-title-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" style=\"color: #000000; \"><strong>Is het dragen van een smartwatch ongezond?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-toggle-wrap right\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><span class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-state-indicator wp-block-ub-chevron-down open\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-expanded=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-content-wrap\" id=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-1-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\">\n\n<p>Wearing a smartwatch is meant to see and possibly improve your health. However, you can also be fooled by the data, or become obsessed with it. So don&#8217;t let all the numbers and graphs guide you too much.   Here&#8217;s how to avoid orthosomnia!<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion\" style=\"border-color: #f1f1f1; \" id=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-block-4c52140c-6a77-4b3f-9525-0f81748fae2c\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-title-wrap\" style=\"background-color: #f1f1f1;\" aria-controls=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-2-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-title ub-content-toggle-title-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\" style=\"color: #000000; \"><strong>Hoe betrouwbaar is de slaapmonitor van een smartwatch?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-toggle-wrap right\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><span class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-state-indicator wp-block-ub-chevron-down open\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-expanded=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-ub-content-toggle-accordion-content-wrap\" id=\"ub-content-toggle-panel-2-fb599c27-4caa-49f3-bd11-34e1d698ded8\">\n\n<p>How accurate the data is of your sleep depends on the smartwatch. Some models are better at this than others. Of course, price is also a factor here. Also, make sure your smartwatch is in good contact with your skin.    Know that a real measurement actually requires a polysomnography, also your brain waves will be measured.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Smartwatches are also known as wearables. They are increasingly the norm among individuals concerned with sleep and health. The smart watches have various sensors that check important vitals such as heart rate and the number of steps you take in a day. But can they also track your sleep and is it really good for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-improve-my-sleep"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindthebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Helpt-een-smartwatch-voor-je-gezondheid.webp?fit=1126%2C637&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"J\u00fcrgen Swinnen","author_link":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/author\/victorys\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2321"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7794,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2321\/revisions\/7794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindthebed.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}