They are the popular devices that let you track your heart rate, sleep and exercise.
But smartwatches could be making their wearers feel more stressed about their health, according to a survey of more than 2,000 users.
Non-stop monitoring and notifications from these devices may reduce quality of life by making people more anxious, a report from market research company Mintel has found.
And it could be affecting the four million adults thought to own a smartwatch in the UK, they warned.
Mintel is now urging leading brands such as Apple and Garmin to encourage ‘digital detoxes’ or offer an option which tracks health weekly, rather than by the minute.
Or, the watches could alert the wearer when there is a potentially serious issue, they said.
‘While these devices offer valuable health insights, the continuous flow of data can overwhelm users, leading to stress and anxiety,’ Joe Birch, a senior technology and leisure analyst at Mintel, told The Sunday Telegraph.
Cecilia Mascolo, a professor of mobile systems at the University of Cambridge – who owns a smartwatch – said the devices provide important information for the NHS and medical researchers.
Smartwatches could be making their wearers feel more stressed about their health, according to a survey (file image)
Mintel is now urging leading brands such as Apple and Garmin to encourage ‘digital detoxes’ or offer an option which tracks health weekly (file image)
However, it could be time for further studies into the effects of smartwatch notifications, she added.
‘I feel strongly that these are useful technologies,’ she said. ‘We haven’t gotten it right, possibly, yet but we will get there.’
Last month researchers from the University of Bristol unveiled an app which, when linked to a smartwatch, could intervene when movements indicating cigarette use are detected.
The team created software that uses motion sensors on a smartwatch to identify the typical hand movements of smoking.
Once detected, the app delivers a vibration alert with a text message offering support about stopping smoking onto the smartwatch screen.
Previous studies have also found that smartwatches can warn users if they are at risk of developing heart failure or if they have an irregular heartbeat.
