Apple Watch: More Than Just A Watch, But Revolutionary Health Tracking Technology

For many people, Apple Watch is no longer just a watch (photo: x @yamadashiro10 ·)

JAKARTA - In recent years, Apple Watch has become a very popular device among technology users, especially for those who care about health. This product not only helps monitor time, but is also a personal health assistant who can provide in-depth insight into the body condition of its users.

Although many know the main features such as ECG (electrocardiogram) or sports tracking, Apple Watch's capabilities are far beyond that. This technology is designed to track various health metrics that users often don't realize, and all of this has the potential to have a major impact on welfare.

One of the most well-known features of Apple Watch is its ability to monitor heart rate. Apple Watch first introduced this capability as a basic heart rate monitoring tool, but over time, the technology continues to develop.

The latest generation of Apple Watch can monitor heart rate throughout the day and alert if the user's heart rate is too low, too high, or shows irregular patterns. In addition, the ECG feature allows users to manually record their heart electric activity in an easy way. Just by placing your finger on the Digital Crown for a few seconds, users can receive heart recording results that can help detect problems such as atrium fibrillation.

However, heart rate tracking is only one of the many health features offered by Apple Watch. Before the end of 2023, this device is also equipped with the ability to monitor oxygen levels in the blood, or SpO2.

This feature was in the spotlight when Apple introduced it as one of the major updates to monitor user health. Although this feature has been deactivated on the latest models due to legal issues, its physical sensors are still on the device. That is, if legal issues are resolved, Apple has the potential to reactivate this feature via software updates.

For women, Apple Watch offers a dedicated application for tracking the menstrual cycle. In addition to recording basic information such as menstrual flow and symptoms, this app can take advantage of other health data to provide retrospective information about possible ovulations. Notifications about the next period of menstruation can also be sent automatically, and this prediction becomes more accurate as the data is added.

Additionally, Apple Watch's ability to monitor running stability shows how this technology can help improve the user's quality of life. Using accelerometers and gyroscopes, this device can detect running patterns and provide stability scores that can be monitored over time.

This feature is very useful for those who are recovering from injury, the elderly, or mobility disorders. As stability progresses significantly, Apple Watch can even provide early warnings, which allow users or their closest people to take action before an accident such as a crash.

One of the increasingly relevant features of the modern era is the ability of Apple Watch to monitor environmental noise. With an internal microphone, this device can measure noise levels around users and send a warning if the exposed sound exceeds a safe threshold. This warning is designed to protect the health of users' hearings, especially those who are often in noisy environments such as construction sites or music shows.

During sleep, Apple Watch tracks important aspects, ranging from duration to sleep quality. These data include stages of sleep such as light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement). In addition to providing insight into the previous night's sleep patterns, these devices also provide recommendations to help users improve their sleep quality. For example, Apple Watch can slowly wake users with gentle vibrations, turn off non-essential notifications at night, and dim the screen to create a more conducive atmosphere for sleep.

The respiratory tracking feature is another interesting innovation. Although this device is not in the user's chest, it is capable of detecting micro-moves that occur while the user breathes while sleeping. This data is presented in the form of a respiratory rate measured in units of breath per minute, providing insight into the user's respiratory health from time to time.

In 2024, Apple introduced a new application called Vitals. The app is designed to combine various health data such as heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen levels, and sleep duration into one easily accessible view. If one of these metrics shows abnormal value, the app will give users a warning. With an intuitive design, Vitals app makes it easier for users to monitor their overall health condition in one place.

In addition to traditional health metrics, Apple Watch also introduces creative features such as time tracking in the sun. Using an ambient light sensor that is usually used to adjust screen brightness, this device can calculate how long users spend outdoor time. This feature not only helps drive a healthier lifestyle, but also provides benefits such as increasing vitamin D levels, which are important for bone health and immune system function.

Furthermore, Apple Watch also collects data about user habits in washing hands. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, this feature has become a relevant addition, with devices automatically detecting hand washing movements and counting times to ensure that users wash their hands for the recommended duration.

With all these features, Apple Watch has surpassed its function as an ordinary wearable device. The data collected is not only for individual purposes, but can also be shared safely with doctors or family members to help better manage health. All these data are stored in the Health app on the user's iPhone, ensuring that data privacy and security are maintained.

Apple Watch has proven itself to be an irreplaceable tool in supporting the health of its users. By continuing to innovate and add new features, this device has the potential to play a bigger role in the world of health in the future. For many people, Apple Watch is no longer just a watch; it has become a health partner who is always ready to help at any time, anywhere.

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