Optimal Health Uncovered

E21: Can wearable technology detect COVID-19?

October 13, 2020 Performance
Optimal Health Uncovered
E21: Can wearable technology detect COVID-19?
Show Notes Transcript

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