Smartwatches boast a range of innovative features, including “life-saving” technologies such as fall detection, emergency SOS calling, alerts for atrial fibrillation (AFib) irregularities, and more recent advancements like those found on Pixel Watches, all designed to instill a sense of security and confidence. While many watches boast about tracking heart rates and distances, there’s a more subtle yet crucial aspect often overlooked: the importance of hydration monitoring and sweat loss tracking.
A recent report of a 35-year-old runner’s near-death experience due to heat exhaustion has rekindled my long-held desire for more advanced hydration monitoring features on smartwatches, particularly after his self-diagnosed symptoms led to severe consequences just one day after onset in temperatures reaching 100°F.
At the same age as myself, this individual had already completed numerous half and full marathons, dispelling common concerns about cardiovascular health associated with his life stage. Perhaps the medical report will provide valuable insights into mitigating factors, but a compelling reason exists for SFGate’s expert to caution people to “ensure you’re staying hydrated” during hot weather, as excessive heat can be detrimental to health.
Samsung boasts that its smartwatches are capable of estimating sweat loss from physical activities with clinical accuracy, a feature that has garnered significant attention in the health and fitness communities. While many manufacturers, excluding Garmin, overlook this guideline, a few others pay lip service to it, but their efforts fall short of what is truly needed.
It’s high time that hydration takes center stage as a top priority for the health industry. As temperatures continue to rise unchecked, it’s crucial that we adapt our preparations to mitigate the devastating impact of extreme heatwaves on our communities.
Monitoring hydration levels is a crucial aspect of overall health and wellness.
On both iOS and watchOS, there are limited options for tracking aquatic activities with only a few apps available, such as and. The Samsung Galaxy Watch series features a proprietary Hydration tile within its One UI interface, while Garmin watch users can access hydration monitoring capabilities through their connection with the Garmin Connect IQ store.
While they may vary in terms of features and focus areas, all hydration tracking apps operate on a similar principle: simply download the app, locate its icon, and tap the designated button to log your daily water intake. The digital display prominently showcases the remaining daily fluid-ounce intake, providing a clear indication of your progress. You can schedule common reminders to pop up and test the consumption habits of those who have been using them regularly.
It’s incredibly beneficial for daily use! Although a daily water reminder wouldn’t account for contextual factors such as body temperature fluctuations after exercise, users would need to adjust their own goals accordingly. However, the constant consumption of power by these devices can be incredibly frustrating, leading many to simply dismiss or turn off their notifications altogether.
Some health wear manufacturers, such as Coros and Polar, permit setting reminders during workouts to replenish fluids or nutrients at predetermined intervals, but neglect to provide context on the optimal amount of hydration or electrolyte intake required by the body.
A smartwatch could potentially detect perspiration levels, triggering personalized hydration recommendations to prevent dehydration and heat-related illnesses by prompting users to drink additional water when needed.
Sweat monitoring made possible with precision by cutting-edge smartwatches.
A recent study conducted by the University of Michigan scientifically validated the accuracy of Samsung’s Galaxy watches, showcasing their efficacy in measuring heart rate (90% accurate), VO2 Max (82% accurate), and sweat loss (95% accurate) in comparison to medical-grade sensors. That was not exactly what I anticipated from such a scenario, but the sweat’s surprising accuracy still left me in awe.
Without using advanced biometric sensors or specialized software, Samsung devices are unlikely to track your sweat loss in real-time. It estimates “primarily based on factors including your physique dimension, age, gender, depth of exercise, as well as heart rate, ambient temperature and other conditions.” I used to just chalk up my post-run sweat loss numbers to guesswork, but it turns out it’s actually educated guesswork.
The one client sweat-loss instrument I am familiar with is the Nix Biosensor. The wearable device accurately tracks the flow of sweat as it forms on your skin, creating a precise measurement of your perspiration rate through advanced sensors that monitor velocity within the inlet, ensuring accurate calculations. As it extrapolates the amount of sweat remaining physiological systems are shedding, as distinct body components exhibit varying sweat rates.
While Nix’s sensors may be beneficial for elite athletes, I’m planning to review their effectiveness in an upcoming article. Regardless of their primary focus or niche expertise, we’d like mainstream smartwatches to establish themselves as the go-to authorities on tracking physiological exertion, not just mere sweat.
While the cEDA sensor can detect subtle changes in skin conductivity indicative of stress levels, its primary purpose is unlikely focused on monitoring overall sweat loss. While Apple’s proposed “measurement of the quantity of fluid misplaced over an interval of time” may seem innovative, presenting a real-time sweat loss rate is no guarantee that the company can successfully bring the concept to life through patent or otherwise.
If extra manufacturers followed suit with Samsung and Google, leveraging their established expertise in tracking heart rate and physical data to estimate sweat loss following workouts, it would be a welcome development. Finally, however, they could potentially go further, as Apple had previously patented ideas for even more innovative features.
As I pound the pavement during a scorching hot half-marathon, the sun beating down on me like an unforgiving drumbeat, I focus on my breathing and pace to maintain a steady rhythm amidst the sweltering conditions. As you run, real-time data displays an estimate of the total amount of sweat lost, continually recalculating and updating this figure with every step or milestone reached. When reaching predetermined sweat loss thresholds, such as every 500 milliliters, the wearable device may discreetly vibrate on your wrist, prompting you to rehydrate swiftly and efficiently.
If your body’s sweat rate drops significantly during your run, that’s a severe indication of dehydration? Your Samsung Galaxy Watch will alert you to pause immediately and replenish fluids or seek medical attention, much like it would notify you of detected arrhythmia or a low heart rate.
Once you’ve crossed the finish line, your smartwatch will accurately track and display your estimated sweat loss in real-time, providing valuable insights into your physical exertion. However, it may also regularly add your misplaced sweat totals to your Hydration tile. Samsung suggests replacing lost fluids within a one- to two-hour timeframe, potentially scaling up the original amount of sweat lost during exercise by 50% and adding fluid ounces accordingly.
The app could potentially send post-workout notifications at the one- and two-hour marks, prompting users to track their hydration progress within the Hydration tile to ensure optimal refueling.
That’s my envisioned vision for how this could function. The sweat sensor should ideally not only activate during exercises but continuously monitor and detect changes in sweat levels repeatedly, similar to the Fitbit cEDA sensor, and start monitoring more frequently if an individual reaches a specific sweat or heart rate threshold, or in conditions where local climate and humidity are unusually high?
This innovative technology would prove invaluable to a wide range of outdoor workers, including farmhands, delivery personnel navigating scorching hot vehicles, construction teams, and numerous other professionals who spend long hours exposed to the elements, not just athletes.
While Garmin’s offering approaches my envisioned benchmark for sweat loss insight, its Hydration Tracker feature within the Join IQ platform is frustratingly concealed, as if it’s embarrassed by its presence. To optimize performance, navigate to the app’s settings menu and toggle on “Auto Enhance Aim” to seamlessly integrate your daily exercise-induced sweat loss into your habitual daily target.
Upon reviewing the data, I found that incorporating an additional six cups of water into my daily regimen significantly contributed to enhanced hydration levels following a rigorous 10K run on a hot day, with the majority of that excess liquid reportedly lost through perspiration. Despite Garmin’s tendency to underestimate my perspiration levels, I find myself exceeding the suggested “150% change” threshold recommended by Samsung. I often desire more water than Garmin suggests, making it theoretically more beneficial than practically useful.
For athletes who endeavour to push through exhaustion and ignore their bodies’ pleas to stop, shouldn’t there be a mechanism in place to intervene at any moment, rather than merely cautioning them at the finish line about excessive perspiration?
Rather than relying solely on algorithms, it’s likely most effective if they started monitoring your body’s sweat levels directly for more personalized insights, as accurate brands like Garmin and Samsung may yield disparate results when estimating heart rate. When exercising with sensitive skin information, it’s crucial to heed warnings to replenish fluids and electrolytes promptly.
