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Those who have heart issues have also been diagnosed with high anxiety
Fitness trackers are extremely popular among those who love to keep fit, as they give constant feedback on your step counts, sleep, and even heart rate. However, according to experts, these handy devices sometimes backfire, causing a lot of anxiety when the metrics go haywire, seriously affecting your mental health.
On social media, there are many posts about health tracker-induced anxiety that have caused a kind of stir in those battling heart issues. “When my stats are good, I’m happy,” wrote a user on Reddit, “but every once in a while a stat drops and I will go into an immediate panic.”
Those who wear trackers are more anxious, says study
According to studies, people who have heart issues like atrial fibrillation—a condition that causes an irregular heartbeat—have also been diagnosed with high anxiety.
Experts say this does have a snowball effect—leading people to hyper-fixate on numbers rather than overall well-being. And so, many mental health experts believe you must take a break from your wearable for a while, at least.
How do tracker metrics lead to mood swings?
Fitness trackers count areas of health like heart rate and sleep, which most people check pretty regularly. However, this can lead to constant mood fluctuations as well since many times the numbers go up and down, depending on how well you slept or what physical activity you did.
If you have been fixed on a certain goal related to your daily step count and you fall short, it is natural to feel a little disappointed, which can in the long run lead to mood swings and anxiousness. Experts say fitness trackers also cause you to doomscroll and go down a rabbit hole of health metrics by trying to find out what the figures mean for your overall health on the internet—further deteriorating your mental health.
Fitness trackers are not foolproof
The highs and lows of your data can make you believe that you have certain underlying health conditions, which you may not have.
According to experts, fitness trackers are not foolproof as they can get glitchy and collect wrong data as well.
Taking a break from fitness trackers
According to experts, once in a while, you must take a break from your trackers to relieve the stress related to your health.
- To use a tracker again after taking a break, it is always a good idea to be more intentional about how you view the device. Also, set a few self-boundaries and focus on trends, not daily numbers.
- Stop checking them all the time and only use them as a reference for your goals.
- Consider taking therapy if the devices are causing you a lot of anxiety.
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