– Teresa Madaleno:
A new year is traditionally a time that signifies a fresh start for many people. One of the more common goals is committing to a healthier lifestyle. Technology is expected to play a big part in healthy living in 2024.
Unfortunately, it seems that year-after-year many people break their new year commitments after just a few weeks. The good news is that technology can help keep you on track because it can increase motivation. Through tech monitoring and measuring, it can be easier to stay on course. Statista reports that revenue in digital health technology reached US $170bn in 2023. By 2028 it is expected to be as much as US $275bn.
Market analysts say 2024 will be the year that you see wearable health gadgets explode. Here are four ways to reach your goals with digital health technology.
• Diet – Eating right, being active, getting ample sleep and reducing stress will make you happier and healthier. When it comes to diet, you can manage healthier choices with digital apps that can keep track of ingredients, portions, calories, and many other food-related factors.
• Fitness – While fitness apps are not new, they are always being updated. You can track an outdoor walk, set fitness goals, and even get encouragement to keep up with activities. Some fitness technology reminds us to stretch or take a few minutes each day to meditate. Popular apps allow you to communicate with the fitness community. For example, you can schedule workouts with friends.
• Sleep – Countless studies demonstrate how important sleep is. Getting a good night sleep improves stamina, lowers the risk of injuries, and puts you in a better mood. It is also known to provide us with weight control. Sleep apps allow you to track, measure and evaluate your sleep. Tracking how many hours you sleep can help your doctor understand certain aspects of your health.
• Heart health – Heart problems, including heart failure are common, but there are various apps that can monitor and measure cardiovascular features and help lead you to improvements in your heart health. Part of this could include measuring stress levels. There are different medically approved digital devices to track stress.
Aside from the obvious, which is wanting to be around to enjoy life, many people are seeking ways to stay on the job longer. Health apps may be able to help these people reach their goal. Recently, Sparta Group’s TruckSuite™ company launched an app in the United States that is focused on helping truckers deal with the many stressful challenges they face on a regular basis. If drivers experience less stress over truck maintenance, repairs, fuel costs etc., they can focus on what they do best, which is drive. While the app, available through Apple’s App Store, as well as Google Play, is new and Sparta is just beginning to collect data, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the app lowered drivers’ stress to a point where they were encouraged to stay on the job longer? We need dedicated truckers to get our goods from A to B safely and on time. Currently, there is a truck driver shortage, so maintaining the number of drivers working in the industry right now is important.
Moving forward, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality are expected to add a whole new dimension to apps, including those that help keep us healthy. Many people who are already using health apps say they give them a “sense of control” over their well-being.
