Optimal Health Uncovered
Optimal Health Uncovered is a podcast created by a group of health and wellness professionals located in the New York metropolitan area who aim to empower you to live better. From specific injuries to general fitness trends, diets to sleep habits, the experts at Performance Optimal Health are dedicated to bringing you the latest evidence-based research on the topics that matter most. If you have questions or want to hear about something specific in an upcoming episode, send an email to podcast@performanceoptimalhealth.com and be sure to check out Performance on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more tips on achieving Optimal Health.
Optimal Health Uncovered
E21: Can wearable technology detect COVID-19?
In this episode, Mike and Todd discuss wearable technologies such as the OURA ring, whoop straps, the Apple watch, Withings, and others and how they relate to optimal health. They review the abilities of these wearables to detect abnormalities in the body and possibly even detect early onset of COVID-19 (coronavirus) symptoms.
Introduction
Wearables and tracking health and wellness metrics
Apple watch and OURA ring
What is the OURA ring – biosensor ring that tracks sleep, recovery, and activity
Biological sensor
HRV or heart rate variability
OURA ring in clients
Helps get one in tune with their body
Monitor stress that we place on the body
What does the OURA ring tell us?
Measures sleep and gives you data on how you slept
Resting heart rate, body temperature, and amount of time you spent in each sleep phase
Graded on a 0-100 scale
Sleep score
Total sleep vs time in bed
Sleep efficiency throughout the night
REM sleep and restorative sleep is the most important sleep
Latency is the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep
Sleep study comparing OURA ring with sleep study (
OURA ring compared to polysonography
OURA ring breaks down stages of sleep
Total amount of sleep
Flaws but it has useful data
Resting heart rate and use often with clients
Late meal and stress can affect the sleep cycle and wearables can detect these metrics
Heart rate variability – time intervals between heart beats
Healthier hearts vary more between beats
High stress, anxiety, depression, autonomic dysfunction and HRV can identify these
Body temperature tracking
Can we track COVID-19 with the OURA ring or with a wearable?
Comparing your own temperature with yourself
Data identified sickness in Todd’s daughter
Clients who use the OURA ring
Sickness can be picked up by the ring or a wearable
OURA is a good pedometer, not great for weight lifting
Readiness score is not accurate when you have to take it off
What to do with the data once you have it?
User interface pairs with activity and nutrition
Trends can show user how things are changing
Health care provider or coach can use back end of the the app to track and help improve overall health for clients or patients
Educating patients on uses for the data
Accountability for the data and making meaningful changes
Trusting the OURA ring data
Feeling much better and appreciate how the body is responding
Apple watch new releases
Pulse oximeter
Anthem Health and UC Irving
53% of smart watches are Apple watches
Apple Fitness app