Top 5 Wellness Tech Tools

Wellness tech tools are becoming increasingly accessible and personalized through technological innovations and the ever-growing presence of AI in health care and our everyday lives. From tracking your health and optimizing your sleep to using mobile apps to nurture your mental health, there may be a wellness tech tool that’s just right for your goals.

Whether you’re already taking advantage of these innovative tools or are just learning about them, they have the ability to help you live a healthier life so you can chase after what makes you feel whole.

Keep reading to learn more about the top five wellness tech tools, discover which are right for you and data privacy considerations before using them.

Smartwatches and Fitness Wearables

Although the advent of wearable technology began nearly three decades ago, this wellness technology trend is still on the rise. Whether it’s a watch on your wrist or a ring on your finger, smart health devices can help you monitor your health through digital health optimization data stored on your phone.

Most of the wearable devices on the market today track various physiological biomarkers, like your heart rate, blood oxygen level (SpO₂), blood pressure estimation, heart-rate variability (HRV) and your respiration rate. Some of these devices even include an electrocardiogram (ECG) feature that estimates your heart’s electrical activity. To track all this health data, these wearables use a variety of sensors, including optical sensors, inertial measurement units, electrodes, temperature sensors and electrodermal activity sensors.

Who Wearable Technology Is For

Wearable technologies are best suited for those who want not only to track their health but also to manage and optimize it. Key users include:

• Athletes
• Health enthusiasts
• Older adults or those who are at high risk of injury
• Those with a chronic condition, like atrial fibrillation (AFib), that can be tracked

What to Know Before Buying a Wearable

Before buying a wearable device, determine your health goals and the purpose you want the device to serve. For example, if you’re looking for a device that can accurately track your runs, certain smartwatches may be better suited for your goals.

Other details to consider include:

• Battery life
• Compatibility with your phone
• Data privacy and security
• Overall comfort
• Price

Whether you’re looking to optimize your health or monitor a heart condition, wearable devices may be just what you need.

Continuous Glucose Monitors

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a wearable device that continuously estimates your blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) levels. These smart health devices store your blood glucose data and let you review the last few hours or days to spot abnormalities and trends to discuss with your health care provider.

Most continuous glucose monitors consist of three parts. The first is a small disposable sensor that’s inserted underneath your skin, usually on your arm or belly, along with a patch that sticks to your skin to keep it in place. Next is the transmitter, which sends information wirelessly to the final component: a software program on your phone, an insulin pump or an independent receiver.

Who CGMs Are For

Continuous glucose monitors are best for those with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Doctors can prescribe these monitors for adults and children for short- or long-term use as part of a broader diabetes treatment plan.

What to Know Before Using a Continuous Glucose Monitor

It’s important to know that, unlike a fingerstick, continuous glucose monitors measure glucose levels in interstitial fluid rather than blood, which causes a five to 15-minute delay in results. The adhesive patch on these monitors may cause slight skin irritation, so talk with your doctor about preventive techniques. Although glucose monitors can cost thousands of dollars, most insurance companies offer varying coverage with proof of insulin therapy.

Sleep-Tracking Devices

Wearable sleep-tracking devices use a variety of sensors to track your sleep data, including movement, heart rate and body temperature to estimate your sleep efficiency, duration and stages (light, deep, REM). Over time, your sleep data is stored, often through an app on your phone, and provides personalized insights, such as common trends and the average time you spend in each sleep stage.

These devices use accelerometers to track your movement throughout the night, estimate when you fell asleep and track any sleep interruptions. They also use photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, which use green light to track your blood flow and measure your heart rate and HRV. All these factors change throughout the night depending on which stage of sleep you’re in, so the device uses this data along with algorithms to provide you with the most accurate sleep data outside of a medical sleep study.

Who Sleep-Tracking Devices Are For

While anyone looking to optimize their sleep can use wearable sleep-tracking devices, they may be recommended for individuals with diagnosed sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, in addition to prescribed medical equipment, like a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

What to Know Before Using a Sleep-Tracking Device

Wearable sleep-tracking devices are not meant to replace medical diagnoses. While these smart health devices provide valuable insights into your sleep, it’s important not to rely solely on their data for proper sleep management. If you or a loved one is experiencing trouble with sleep, our sleep medicine experts are here to help you get the rest you deserve.

AI-Powered Health Apps

AI-powered health apps help users track and monitor their physical health just like wearable devices do. However, the biggest difference is that these mobile apps require you to manually input your data to track things like current symptoms or the foods you’ve eaten that day.

Through artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and data analytics, many of the mainstream health apps today provide personalized, real-time insights, diagnostics and monitoring for your health and wellness. Whether you’re looking to track your symptoms for personalized management tools or track the macronutrients you consume daily to manage your weight, there’s likely an AI-powered health app suited just for your needs.

Who Health Apps Are For

AI-powered health apps are best for those passionate about tracking and optimizing their health. Many athletes use health apps that track their daily macronutrients, like protein, carbohydrates and fat, to help them reach peak performance by fueling their bodies the right way. Others with chronic conditions or who often get sick may use these apps to track their symptoms and gain personalized insights into their health.

What to Know Before Downloading a Health App

The most important thing to remember before and after downloading AI-powered health apps is that they aren’t meant to replace your doctor. While these apps provide highly accurate insights, you shouldn’t rely only on what they tell you. Anytime you’re experiencing worsening or prolonged symptoms, visit your primary care provider.

Other factors to consider are the app's data privacy and security. Not all AI-powered health apps are HIPAA-compliant, so your health data may not be protected by law.

Mental Wellness and Breathwork Apps

Similar to AI-powered health apps, mental wellness and breathwork apps offer practical and on-demand tools to nurture your mental and physical health. Many mental wellness apps offer virtual meditation experiences to help you reduce stress, manage anxiety, boost mindfulness, improve sleep and even enhance your focus through breathwork.

To take it a step further, many of these apps also offer mental health symptom tracking that, over time, offer personalized insights and tools for managing and caring for your health.

Who Mental Wellness and Breathwork Apps Are For

These mobile apps are perfect for individuals looking to manage daily stress and anxiety or improve overall emotional well-being. They’re also useful for those looking to improve their focus or sleep through personalized techniques.

What to Know Before Downloading a Mental Wellness or Breathwork App

While mental wellness and breathwork apps provide useful tools to manage and even improve your physical and mental health, it’s important that you don’t rely on them for managing chronic mental health challenges or mental health emergencies. It’s best to rely on your doctor or mental and behavioral health counselor to provide you with the tools you need to thrive.

If you’re thinking about or planning suicide, know that you’re not alone in these thoughts, and you don’t have to follow through with them. There are people here for you, 24 hours a day, at the National Suicide Hotline at Call Call1-800-273-8255 and the Crisis Text Line when you text HOME to 741741. There is help for you, always.

Data Privacy Considerations

When it comes to your physical, mental and spiritual health, privacy matters. To best protect you and your family, consider the following:

• Read privacy policies before purchasing or downloading.
• Research and choose reputable brands or companies.
• Review and limit permissions, like your location and contacts.
• Use strong security, like multi-factor authentication.

Many wellness tech tools, like wearable devices or mental health apps, aren’t regulated or protected by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which can leave you and your loved ones’ private health information vulnerable. It’s important that you take the time to learn about each product's HIPAA compliance policies and make informed decisions before offering any personal health information.

Supporting Your Journey to Wholeness

At AdventHealth, we’re here to support you in body, mind and spirit as you embark on your journey to wholeness. Whether you need compassionate primary care services or want to speak to one of our specialists about personalized wellness care or how to use wellness tech tools, know that we’re here for you.