GoKawiilIt began as a headache, but by the end of the rabbit hole I fell down, I was staring at the possibility of a deadly brain tumor. Just weeks later, a slight cough spiraled into fears that I’d contracted a first-of-its-kind, pandemic-style illness that would bring about my own -- and the world’s -- demise.
I'm a wellness writer with health anxiety. Otherwise known as hypochondria or illness anxiety disorder, it's a condition that makes me worry I am or may become ill even when I’m healthy.
What’s ironic is that part of my job involves testing devices that monitor my health, wearables including fitness trackers and smart rings. While I love exploring this technology and do think it can help you learn more about your body, I have to be careful about how I use it so my anxiety isn’t triggered. I know I’m not alone.
“Healthy adults and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions are increasingly using these devices to manage their health,” says Dr. Lindsey Rosman, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology and co-director of the Cardiovascular Device and Data Science Lab at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “Whether 24/7 access to health information from a wearable actually helps or potentially harms people is really unclear.”
To collect health data, you used to have to visit your doctor or rely on single-purpose devices such as blood pressure or heart rate monitors. Now, advancements in wearable technology over the last decade have built an entire industry focused on around-the-clock health tracking that can help you train more efficiently or even alert you to signs of potential illness.
Yet, being inundated with health data isn’t just bothersome; it can be harmful. Especially when you consider the widespread impact: About one in five US adults regularly wear a smartwatch or a wearable fitness tracker, according to a July 2019 Pew Research Center survey. That number has likely grown as the number of wearables on the market continues to increase.
When you add in the ability to search your symptoms online or ask an AI chatbot in your wearable’s app every health question under the sun, it becomes even more difficult to discern between what’s helpful and harmful.
To help myself and others with health anxiety navigate the world of wearables so we can either enjoy using them or know when it’s time to stop, I reached out to experts for their advice.
1. Turn off the alerts that cause panic
Rosman has observed clinically that it can be beneficial to either scale back or turn off the features that make you anxious. This can be especially helpful for people with pre-existing conditions that are already being treated, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib, an irregular heartbeat), as your wearable’s irregular heart rhythm notifications will only make you anxious and can prompt you to see your doctor when it’s not medically necessary.
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