They’re popular, but wearable devices that track exercise or sleep are not always the most accurate predictors of health. Still, researchers see them as promising tools, and in a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine, they found that wearables can potentially let us know when we’re getting sick.
By equipping 60 people with several activity monitors—most people got a Basis smartwatch—the researchers collected close to 2 billion measurements, including heart rate, sleep, fitness, weight, skin temperature and blood oxygen levels.
