• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Immunocompromised Care
    • Top Blacks in Healthcare
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / COVID-19 / Can Wearables Track the Severity of COVID Symptoms?

Can Wearables Track the Severity of COVID Symptoms?

fitness trackers

Fitness trackers can tell you how well you’re sleeping, how fast you’re walking and, of course, how many steps you’ve taken.

But during the pandemic, researchers have also investigated the ability of smartwatches to help detect COVID-19 or provide data on recovery.

The latest study uses several measures of heart rate data to help track the progression of symptoms in someone who has the coronavirus and to show how sick that person becomes while ill.

RELATED: Smartwatch Heart Data May Be Less Accurate for Black Users

How fitness trackers may help

In the study, fitness trackers detected that COVID-19 dampened biological timekeeping signals, says co-author Daniel Forger, a mathematics professor at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. The researchers also found signs of changes in how a person’s heart rate responds to activity, altered resting heart rate and stress signals.

You May Also Like
When Your Pudge Just Won't Budge! What to Do When Belly Fat Won't Go Away

“Most people using this data think about heart rate as one number, but heart rate is this vital sign that reflects so many different physiological processes,” Forger shares. “That’s what our goal is as mathematicians, can we take this one string of numbers, all these heartbeats, with all the noise and everything and say something about different physiological signals?”

While past research has included working to understand disease through wearable heart rate data, for this effort the researchers focused on breaking down the heart rate signal into parts.

The team used data from the 2019 and 2020 cohorts of the Intern Health Study, which follows physicians during their first year of residency, and the Roadmap College Student Data Set, which looked at student health and well-being during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students in that study wore Fitbits and self-reported COVID-19 diagnosis and symptoms.

This new study included 43 medical interns and 72 undergraduate and graduate students who had a positive COVID-19 test. They had been wearing their fitness trackers 50 days before symptoms and 14 days after.

You May Also Like
9 Foods You Should NEVER Eat after Age 30

The researchers found that when COVID symptoms began, the study participants had a heart rate increase per step. This heart rate per step was significantly higher for individuals who had a cough.

A person’s daily resting heart rate increased when symptoms started or before, possibly because of fever or increased anxiety, the researchers suggest.

As COVID-19 symptoms started, individuals had increased “circadian phase uncertainty,” which is the body’s

Continue Reading

The Latest In COVID-19

COVID tests

U.S. Resumes Free COVID Test Program, Here’s How to Get Them

Americans will once again be able to get free at-home COVID tests. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that it will spend $600 million to buy and offer the tests, produced by 12 domestic manufacturers, read more about U.S. Resumes Free COVID Test Program, Here’s How to Get Them
covid 19 flu rsv

It’s Time to Start Preparing Against Flu, RSV & COVID-19

Kids are back in school and it's time to think about viruses, for both yourself and them. It could be an early flu season in the United States, if what happened in the Southern Hemisphere offers any insight, according to read more about It’s Time to Start Preparing Against Flu, RSV & COVID-19
COVID tests

Can You Still Get Free COVID Tests – Do They Work Against New Variants?

COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are gradually increasing in the United States, as two new variants gain a foothold in the nation. And with that rise, more people are looking for COVID test kits. Hospitalizations rose by nearly nine percent and read more about Can You Still Get Free COVID Tests – Do They Work Against New Variants?
COVID boosters

FDA Approves New COVID Booster Shots, Here’s What You Need to Know

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday gave the green light to new COVID boosters for Americans, setting the stage for the updated vaccines to become available within days. Who can take the boosters? The COVID-19 shots from Pfizer read more about FDA Approves New COVID Booster Shots, Here’s What You Need to Know
ways to boost your immune system

COVID is Back: 6 Practical Ways to Boost Your Immune System

As the world grapples with the resurgence of COVID-19, the importance of a robust immune system cannot be overstated. Our immune system is our first line of defense against viruses and illnesses, including COVID-19. In this article, we'll explore six read more about COVID is Back: 6 Practical Ways to Boost Your Immune System
covid 19 on the rise

COVID-19 Numbers Are On The Rise, How Can You Protect Yourself?

In response to the recent increase in COVID cases, many businesses and workspaces have decided to implement mask requirements again in an effort to prepare for a fall surge. CBS News reports that COVID cases have continued to rise over read more about COVID-19 Numbers Are On The Rise, How Can You Protect Yourself?

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

The 14 Different Types Of Headaches: Which One You’re Experiencing?

The 14 Different Types Of Headaches: Which One You’re Experiencing?

6 Things In Your Home That Can Cause Cancer

things that cause cancer

5 Amazing Things Salt Water Can Cure

salt water benefits

5 Exercise Moves That Never Work

exercise moves

5 Items You Need In Your Lupus Flare Up Kit

lupus flare up
Find a Culturally Sensitive Doctor

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.