By Drishti Chhabria, Founder and Cheif Experience Officer of Orangetheory Fitness India
In today’s world, technology is a big part of our life in every aspect of day-to-day life especially wearable technology devices. As a society, we are getting more intrigued by our health data to be able to live a better life and improve our lifestyle by making small changes using this data. While there are many different technologies that help track health data, all of them focus on different metrics but generally look at heart rate trends to identify issues or provide insights. In fact, wearables can help improve health because they are easy to use and provide indications or trends that are easy to track when out of a medical office environment.
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is one of the most common conditions that affect millions of people around the world hence it is very important to be able leverage technology in the form of wearable devices to track and combat hypertension.
The most common way to track hypertension is by using wearable blood pressure monitors that help track blood pressure. These devices are worn on the arm or wrist, while providing readings as the best way to combat hypertension. There are also many smart watches and devices in the market that not only provide different health data such as sleep patterns, blood oxygen, heart rate, but also specifically monitor blood pressure levels. These can be beneficial to those looking to track more than just hypertension, but also change other aspects of their lifestyle which affect hypertension. For example, sleep patterns can affect blood pressure levels which will then allow you to notice how you can improve your sleep to improve blood pressure.
Another way to track hypertension is by using mobile apps that help track blood pressure, diet, exercise, and medication adherence. These apps also help understand what works and can provide education to improve people’s lives. With reminders, medication tracking, treatment plans and support offered in these apps, people are more able to track their hypertension levels and symptoms to be able to combat it.
Technology plays a big role in tracking and combatting hypertension hence healthcare providers can consider each patient’s needs and provide them with a plan using technology. What’s more unique is the role technology plays in tracking heart rate and heart health to prevent hypertension, before even needing to combat it.
At Orangetheory Fitness, we leverage our proprietary technology, OTBeat, to monitor heart rate while you are working to ensure you are safe and not overtraining to push your heart rate beyond a safe parameter. In fact, incorporating workouts into your routine that are based on heart rate can significantly lower blood pressure in those with hypertension. We provide heart rate-based interval training where those struggling with blood pressure to help improve their health in the same manner as medications help improve hypertension. In this scenario, we are also able to associate potential triggers such as exercise and how it affects hypertension. Regular monitored exercises can bring blood pressure down to safer levels, especially aerobic exercise with more intensity brings greater reductions to prevent as well as treat hypertension. The best part is that you can safely exercise without worrying about risks associated with hypertension by using wearable devices such as our proprietary heart-rate monitoring technology throughout the workout.
A combination of lifestyle modifications with the use of technology can greatly help monitor hypertension as well as combat it. From wearable blood pressure monitors and mobile apps to wearable workout monitoring devices, we can leverage technology in society to bring lifestyle changes by incorporating trackable workouts as well as track our blood pressure for better outcomes and treatment.
