How Does Stress Monitor Work In A Smartwatch? Is It Reliable?

Stress is such a big word and we tend to ignore it. We’re living in a tough time, after COVID-19, people have lost jobs, and family members, and a lot more has happened.

Now because of everything, people are getting stressed, so if you’re feeling low and you don’t want to talk to anyone then a small gadget called a smartwatch can help you to figure out about your health.

So let’s find out whether how stress monitoring work in a Smartwatch and is it reliable.

How Does Stress Monitor Work In A Smartwatch

Years ago most smartwatches were using heart rate sensors to measure stress levels but as the tech evolved, now brands like Apple, Fitbit, and even Samsung are using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to monitor stress.

To put it simply, high HRV means, your body is in good shape but if HRV is on the lower side then it indicates that your body is not in the right shape, in this case, you will feel low, you might get angry, you will lose interest and these are the sign of stress which is calculated by smartwatches with the help of Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

By the way, the HRV is not the same as heart rate (BPM), HRV is a measurement of the time interval between heartbeats. Usually, BRP is the result of an average number of heartbeats per minute whereas HRV is more focused on small fluctuations of the heart.

Is Stress Monitor In A Smartwatch Reliable?

Premium brands like Fitbit use a dedicated sensor to measure stress called Electro Dermal Activity (EDA), it detects stress through electrical changes in the sweat level of our skin, simply put your palm on the smartwatch screen for a minute.

In one minute, smartwatches will calculate all the data from heart rate, workout activity, and even sleep data to check the stress level of your body.

In short, the smartwatch will use all the sensors to provide accurate stress levels. Now, most budget smartwatches won’t have an EDA sensor because of its cost and that’s the reason they mostly rely on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) which provides 90% accurate stress data.

That’s fairly accurate when considering a Rs 5000 smartwatch.

Still, if you want accurate stress data then consider getting yourself a Fitbit watch.

Best Smartwatches with Stress Monitoring

Every single smartwatch from Rs 2,000 to Rs 50,000 comes with stress monitoring, now the problem is some budget smartwatch only uses software to measure stress while some use dedicated sensors.

So let’s see some of the best smartwatches you can buy for stress Monitoring which will provide accurate stress data.

Fitbit Sense 2

Its a new launch from Fitbit and it has all the sensors from Accelerometer, ECG, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, Off-body IR, PPG Heart Rate, Skin temperature sensor, CEDA sensor, EDA scan, ECG app, built-GPS, SpO2 tracking, and altimeter.

So yes, to calculate stress, the watch will have almost all the sensors from heart rate, SpO2, ECG, EDA, and even the Skin temperature sensor.

In short, it’s the best smartwatch to measure your health, also, Fitbit is more focused on the health side of things, so you can rely on them.

Best Buy: Fitbit Sense 2

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

A smartwatch that runs on WearOS which means you can whatever you want with it. Again, the Galaxy Watch 5 also comes with an accelerometer, ECG, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, PPG Heart Rate, Skin temperature sensor, EDA scan,built-GPS, SpO2 tracking, and altimeter.

You can also rely on Galaxy Watch 5 too.

If you ask me, I would prefer the Fitbit Sense 2 because I trust them more when it comes to the fitness side of things. Samsung is also good but a thing, they don’t allow their smartwatch on iPhone.

I don’t use iPhones but if in case…

Best Buy: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Apple Watch 8

The newly launched Apple Watch 8 comes with a skin temperature sensor, now we don’t know whether apple uses this sensor to measure stress or not.

According to Apple “Your Apple Watch tracks multiple heart data during the day when you just wear your Apple Watch. Stress Monitor App is designed especially for Apple Watch users. The App processes your heart data and shows your current stress and capacity to perform at your mental, emotional, and physical best.03-Oct-2022”

In short, if you have iPhone then go for Apple Watch 8 otherwise, it’s better to stick with Fitbit Sense 2.

Best Buy: Apple Watch 8

Conclusion

Now you know how your smartwatch monitors stress levels, still, if you have any kind of questions or dought then feel free to comment. See you there.

Also, don’t rely on a budget smartwatch when it comes to stress monitoring because they mostly use the optical heart rate sensor which sometimes doesn’t even provide accurate heart rate data, so how it will provide accurate stress data?