inability to time daily events. That may correspond to early signs of infection, according to the study authors.
Besides affecting heart rate, the body’s circadian clock regulates wake-sleep patterns, temperature and more.
“There’s actually interesting animal work showing that circadian rhythms become blunted around the time of infection,” Forger adds. “So it makes physiological sense. In your body, you have these big daily variations, but if you’re sick, your body may not want you to have such big variations. It may want to just shut that timekeeping off.”
The work establishes algorithms that can be used to understand how an illness impacts heart rate physiology, according to the study.
The algorithms are good enough now to really be able to give a larger picture of health, Forger says, which may help medical professionals triage patients and make more informed decisions.
“I think now that we just have a better understanding of these parameter changes over time, it just really sets the stage for future real-time detection of disease,” says lead author Caleb Mayer, a doctoral student in mathematics at the University of Michigan. “We’re not there yet, but I think breaking down the heart rate signal into all these different systems is really a necessary step toward that goal.”
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Why wearables are good for our health
These wearables are now so common, and the number of people using them is only going to grow in the coming years, says Dr. Matthew Martinez, director of Atlantic Health System Sports Cardiology at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey and past chair of the American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council.
Martinez, who was not involved in this study, says he often sees patients who provide him with a multitude of data from their trackers.
“I think first it’s really important for people to continue to take ownership for their own health care,” he adds.
Martinez says there are some caveats to relying on this information. For one thing, the medical community will need to determine what data might be valuable. He says he could see value in being able to monitor someone’s health information and also in gathering data for those who may be unable to easily go to the doctor in person.
“I also like the ability to be able to track folks in their usual environment, so I can get a better sense of that. And it also allows for a more affordable, real-life view of what’s happening for patients,” Martinez shares.
Limitations of the study were that it doesn’t consider influenza-like illnesses and didn’t account for other factors such as age, weight, gender or that the data were taken during a time when flu or other disease transmission was also high.
If you are interested in whether or not wearables can help improve your health, talk with your doctor about the options that are available and what may make sense for you. If wearables can help, you doctor may be able to advise you on what information may be useful to collect.