POV: Tracking our health with digital devices

I was asked about my thoughts on sleep tracking devices in a Q&A after a corporate wellness talk I delivered, covering the many ways to optimise our health holistically. See a summary of my thoughts on this below…

Tracking what works - there’s no denying there are some incredible digital devices around which can help us to track our sleep, blood sugar, heart rate variability etc. These all have their place in the wellness space and can be useful tools, to provide information on individualised health and how our bodies are responding to certain variable factors i.e. routines, food, caffeine. In fact, in some cases these may be vital for the management of acute health conditions i.e. blood glucose monitor for advanced diabetes. 

However, as with many things, and speaking more generally, there are two sides. To what extent do we then outsource our health to digital devices and quantify everything through numbers. And to what extent can this then become our measure for health over anything else, and something we then become fixated on. 

My point being (and in my opinion), our most important marker for health generally, is how we actually FEEL. In our bodies, in our minds and energetically. 

Digital trackers used short-term or intermittently can be incredibly insightful and inform necessary adjustments to our nutrition / lifestyle, but the best indicator for health long-term is how we feel - checking in with our bodies, creating space in our lives and accessing more intuitive parts of ourselves - this is why I’m also a big proponent of yoga, and its ability to get us out of our minds and back into our bodies. 

Everyone is different and it is of course whatever works for the individual, but I think we can often underestimate the basic things (i.e. listening to our body), and get allured by the ‘shiner’ ones (new tech).

Tuning in with ourselves is never a trend, neither is it reliant on anything else, other than ourselves. It’s not always easy (it can take a lot of time and practice!), but ultimately it guides us brilliantly and is a key pillar of our wellbeing.   

What are your thoughts? Do you use any tracking devices? I always love to hear different points of view and as with anything, there are nuances and context is key