Fitbit Sense

The newest release from Fitbit, the Sense, brings the wearer advanced health monitoring with EDA stress monitoring, ECG, skin temperature sensing, blood oxygen saturation and more, all displayed on the health metrics dashboard for ease of use.

I believe the most interesting function for the spa and wellness industry is the stress monitor. This is the world’s first electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor in a wearable. Detecting electrical changes in your skin, it can measure your body’s response to stress by placing the palm of your hand over the device. Coupled with mindfulness sessions, the Sense can track responses over time and help the wearer manage stress and build a practice of mindfulness and meditation. This could be used practically in a wellness retreat setting where guests can monitor changes in stress levels and other health metrics such as sleep duration and quality, heart rate and heart rate variability and breathing rate. This may provide useful data on the wellness practices offered during the retreat and equip the guest with the tools to continue their wellness journey via the practices they have learnt after the end of the retreat.

With the ECG app (currently only available in certain countries), the Fitbit Sense measures the heart’s electrical activity with medical grade heart rate readings. This can help to detect signs of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm which increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

The skin temperature is also measured by the Fitbit Sense, while this is very different from core temperature measurements, knowing the skin temperature at night can be an indicator of hydration levels. A higher than average skin temperature overnight may indicate you need to rehydrate in the morning or adjust your sleepwear or sleeping environment.

www.fitbit.com