Jewellery & Watch News
A delve into the Wellness side of the Garmin fēnix® watch and how it can aid in a preventative approach to maintaining better overall health and well-being
Perhaps the last few years, in particular, have compounded the need for mental health to be recognised in every community, in every service, in every school and in every workplace. The impact of Covid 19 had a lasting psychological impact on many people – the young, the old and the vulnerable. But combined with the cost of living crises and the impact of social media, the pressure to balance work, lifestyle, and health, we are battling against more factors than ever before to achieve mental, physical, and emotional equilibrium. We owe it to our communities, our friends, our family and ourselves to acknowledge and raise awareness through campaigns like World Mental Health Day. Mental health problems, after all, impact around one in every four of us and we must do everything we can, both as a society and on an individual basis, to make the burden of mental health easier on those whom it affects, and to prevent more people from having to go through this condition alone.
Lifestyle Factors and Mental Health
Part of the challenge in raising awareness of mental health problems and the impact they can have on all aspects of life is to take preventative measures. Research has long shown that a balance of key lifestyle factors can help boost our emotional well-being. Like many other health-related conditions, better overall emotional health and mental health can be achieved by taking measures like leading a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, taking time out for ourselves and maintaining a healthy and well-balanced diet. These contributing factors to better mental and emotional health make sense when we think about all of these elements proven to reduce stress levels.
How Garmin Is Doing Its Bit
Research points in the direction of a more health-focused and health-aware modern society. Gym use is nearly double pre-pandemic numbers. As lifestyle choices like going to the gym, running, hiking and biking have become an increasingly popular addition to our daily lives, so too has the need for a smartwatch to assist with daily exercise and a general all-around healthier lifestyle. Garmin – a leader in the realm of smartwatch technology, has recently released its latest fēnix® model and while its GPS features, built-in sports apps, legible touchscreen and improved battery life are all reasons why the fēnix® has become yet another instant success, now is as good a time as any to touch on Garmin’s innovative wellness features. Combined with other influential factors like eating healthy and maintaining regular exercise, tracking your sleeping and looking at ways to reduce daily stress are all contributing factors to improving poor mental health (or preventing it) in the long run. Garmin is all too aware of this and makes the fēnix®’s Sleep Tracker and Stress Monitor features an integral part of the watch’s modern spec.
fēnix® Stress Tracking
Garmin offers a feature in the fēnix® smartwatch that determines stress by regularly tracking it. It does this by tracking data collected by the heart rate monitor. Stress is the body’s natural response to the daily challenges of life. No one is immune to it and the elevated psychological state is caused. Garmin’s stress-tracking feature is part of a scientifically validated understanding of the body’s autonomic nervous system. The optical heart rate sensor built into the caseback of the fēnix® works by combining HR and HRV readings. Using the Firstbeat Analytics engine, the fēnix® works to bring you an intuitive data analysis of your day in terms of stress levels. Monitoring this information on your smartwatch can help you better understand what points throughout the day make you feel most stressed. Highlighting this information can help a person make necessary changes to avoid the situation or deal with it better.
It’s important to note that the Stress Tracker does not relay data while you are exercising. This is because exertion caused by sports or physical activity creates a different stress response compared to, say, a job interview or social situation. The fēnix® smartwatch, whether the 43mm, 47mm or 51mm model, detects the reactions of your ANS (autonomic nervous system) alerting you to periods where your stress levels are considerably high and encouraging you to take a moment to relax and breathe. It will assist you with a guided breathing exercise that works to a breathing timer. Elevated stress levels are consolidated at the end of the day on a bar chart in orange, contrasting with blue bars to show states of relaxation. The help provided by the Garmin smartwatch to identify these states of stress prompts the wearer to look at their lifestyle choices and increase their awareness of stressors to effectively self-manage them. Examples may be work, driving, or social anxiety.
Everyone’s response to stressful triggers is different and this is one reason why, with help from the Garmin fēnix®, gaining a more thorough and in-depth insight into your daily stress levels helps you recognise and adapt to your own personal situation, especially when you consider the influential role of sleep.
Sleep Tracking
In sync with Garmin’s intuitive Sleep Tracking, the fēnix® Body Battery™ Energy Monitoring feature keeps tabs on how much energy is left in your tank, knowing when your energy levels are depleting and equipping you with the preventative skills to take time to recharge. Stress, sleep and recovery are all interlinked, so it makes sense to feature all three in a compact device like the fēnix®.
The Body Battery feature on the latest Garmin devices embodies this philosophy, seamlessly integrating advanced analytics to provide a clear picture of your energy levels throughout the day. By monitoring the interplay of physical activity, stress, and restorative sleep, Garmin enables users to make informed choices about their daily routines. This insight is invaluable in fostering healthier habits and optimising exercise regimens, ensuring that each individual can navigate their unique challenges effectively.
Knowing how you sleep gives you an important insight into how stress levels and your general mental and emotional well-being are interlinked. The Sleep Tracking feature of the Garmin fēnix® includes a breakdown of the different sleep stages, your movement and respiration rates, Pulse-Ox readings, and a full picture that presents all of the data compiled in the morning.
Conclusion
While smartwatches like the Garmin fēnix® cannot directly quantify mental health, nor can they eradicate the factors that contribute to it, this reliable monitoring of stress and sleep can provide indirect insights into factors that contribute to mental health. The Fenix 8 is designed to be by your side, day in and day out. To provide psychological indicators that act as an example of pro-active, positive reinforcement and to help you implement healthy habits as a preventative measure to declining mental health factors.
If you’d like to learn more about the Garmin fēnix®, call and speak to a member of our C W Sellors sales team today on 01335 216004.
