The ability to track your daily fitness is one of Garmin watches’ most prominent features. Garmin fitness trackers not only tell you where you are and how high you have climbed. They also show your everyday stress and calm mood.
Many individuals, though, wonder how they monitor stress. The fitness monitoring feature depends on your model because it is unavailable on all smartphones. If you have a regular Garmin watch, you should not assess your stress level while working.
This is because the watch will perceive typical work to be high-stress. Garmin watches use a simple method to determine your stress level and inform you of your daily activities. However, we will make the mechanism by which Garmin calculates stress easier than before. Let’s begin.
How Does The Garmin Watch Measure Stress Level – The Process
Garmin watches analyze your stress level and inform you about your body’s reaction to external stimuli. The process for measuring stress on your Garmin watch is outlined below.
- All Garmin watches use Heart Rate Variability(HRV)
- To determine stress, HRV is used.
- HRV quantifies the time elapsed between two heartbeats.
- The watch then monitors the variation in the heartbeat gap.
- The short time between heartbeats indicates that you are under stress.
- A long period between heartbeats shows that you are calm.
- Garmin uses the Firstbeat Analytics algorithm to calculate HRV.
- When you are not exercising, the watch measures your HRV.
- The algorithm compares the data with a stressed and relaxed state.
What Is The Best Stress Level On A Garmin Watch?
Garmin watches measure stress on a scale ranging from 0 to 100. If the Garmin watch readout is zero, you are in a calm condition. When the result is greater than 0 and less than 30, it indicates that you are under some stress. And so forth.
When the reading hits 100, it indicates that you have a high degree of stress which should be associated with your activities. So you can identify the source of the pressure. Avoid situations that have a stress level of more than 75.
How Can You Lower Your Stress Score?
If your watch indicates a high degree of stress, you would have considered how to lessen it. One disadvantage of Garmin devices is that they do not display the stress-causing factor. However, some wonderful suggestions may help you regulate things and reduce stress. The levels are as follows.
- Guided breathing exercise
- Regular exercise makes your body properly relax
- A training plan for regular exercise
- Enough bedtime can also reduce your stress
Is Garmin Accurately Measure Your Stress?
Garmin watches include a heart rate monitor that measures your pulse rate. And the watch evaluates your stress level based on the data gathered from heart rate variability. A Garmin watch’s stress-tracking accuracy is determined by how long you wear it.
The longer you use your Garmin watch, the more precisely it measures your stress. Even if you wear the watch at night, it will take a resting baseline and compare it to the baseline during active time. The accuracy also depends on the watch attached to the skin to capture HRV.
The watch will take an exact Heartbeat rate if it is tightly attached to your skin; else, it will not be able to take a suitable reading. The following are some of the errors of Garmin watches in calculating your stress level.
- Period of intense exercise
- Playing sports or activities can be considered stress
- The tightly worn watch will also measure the high level of stress
ALSO READ: How To Connect Garmin Watch To Peloton?
Conclusion: How Does The Garmin Watch Measure Stress
Garmin watches are ideal for monitoring fitness and the body’s reaction to environmental stressors. However, the timepieces should not be used as diagnostic instruments. Because the watches have certain flaws, such as the watch misinterpreting sports or exercise as a high level of stress.
If you notice a significant increase in stress, ensure your watch fits properly on your wrist. You should see a doctor if it still stays high since failing to do so might harm your health.