Around 40 percent of the people are now using a fitness tracker to keep track of their daily activities. Now that many people are using it, some of the users are experiencing dangerous side effects. The fitness tracker has risks for many users who are allergic to certain materials, causing them discomfort.
To get the best out of your fitness tracker is one of the major concerns for all the users out there. I personally have been looking for answers to such questions. So, is technology taking over our daily activities? Are they causing any trouble or hindrances? What are the risks associated with using a fitness tracker?
Let us find out the things that you might have been doing wrong up till now with the fitness tracker. By learning how to wear it properly or the duration you have to put it on for, you might be able to get the appropriate use of the fitness trackers without having to worry about the side effects!
Can Fitness Tracker Cause Wrist Pain?
I bet you are excited about the fitness tracker that can track all your activities, including your steps, calories, heart rate, and even oxygen level in some cases. Though, you will have to understand the risks behind using the fitness trackers.
Can a fitness tracker cause wrist pain then? Of course, yes. One out of ten people complains about the wrist pain caused by fitness trackers. However, we also have to understand that these risks are related to your using pattern.
Even popular brands like Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Samsung have users who complain about wrist pain.
According to a post on Washington, a Fitbit user experienced numbness and pain in the wrist to such an amount that he could not brush his hair properly. When he went online to find a solution, he found out that he was not the only one!
Increasingly, in the fitness world, you are pretty much similar to the others regarding the use of the fitness tracker. Hence, it can cause you some problems if you do not wear or handle it properly. After all, it is only a technological device that needs you by its side!
Wearing your fitness device too long or too tight can cause you some trouble. So, what are the possible risks of wearing a fitness tracker then?
Nerve Damage
Wearing your fitness device too tight may cause you nerve damage. The intense wrist pain for many users of fitness bands gives them a push to visit the doctor.
The doctor gives us an idea about the number of people increasing in size who visit the hospital for treatment of wrist pain caused by excessive usage of fitness bands.
The key point here is that wearing your fitness band tightly blocks the nerve of your wrist. Eventually, overtime usage will result in the contraction of your nerves.
If you are a woman, then you can relate to this. You might have experienced pain in your wrist in the past by wearing a hairband to your wrist.
Hence, what does this tell us? This means that if you use any of the tight devices such as your watch, fitness bands, hair bands too tightly on your wrist, you are bound to face nerve damage.
Therefore, the blockage of blood flow from the nerves causes you to experience the terrible pain in your wrist.
Skin Irritation
If you are one of those who have allergies to minerals such as gold and copper, you will face some skin irritations caused by the fitness tracker.
If you are allergic to such materials, then you should check the material used by the fitness tracker before you buy them.
You might also try covering the charging area by tapes, which are considered helpful by many users.
This might also be the case for people who use fitness trackers for a long time. The most basic theme here is that dirt, water, and other elements get trapped in your fitness tracker.
It might not damage your fitness tracker since it might be protected. However, it will harm you instead.
For this reason, you have to make sure your fitness tracker is clean and dry. Even the sweat of your own hands might get trapped in the fitness bands when you wear them for too long.
In such a case, you have to clean your fitness bands to avoid any kinds of rashes, skin irritations, and other discomforts.
EMF Radiation
A hundred percent of the technological devices you use today require radio frequency to communicate with each other. Moreover, you may find it on your cell phones, television, and much more. Adding to the list is your fitness band.
EMF, primarily known as Electromagnetic Frequency, is used by your fitness bands when they try to connect to your mobile phones through Bluetooth.
Thus, you can safely assume that fitness bands that do not connect with other devices have minimal or no EMFs.
I advise you personally to avoid connecting your fitness device to your cell phones until it is necessary.
Though the risks are minimal for most people, the adverse effects may hit some if used for a longer period.
This demands you to be more careful about the devices you use and the potential damage it may cause in the future.
What Are the Ways to Limit Radiation Risk
Radiation is harmful when it comes down to extra exposure. They can cause serious diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Do fitness trackers emit such radiations? YES, they do! But do you need to be scared of it? Probably no.
The amount of radiation fitness trackers emit naturally low. As we have mentioned above, doctors even argue that our bodies absorb them without harm.
However, there are ways you can reduce the radiation risk. If you keep these things in mind, you are good to go! They are:
- Try to limit the use of Bluetooth to connect your fitness bands to cell phones or any other device. Use Bluetooth only when it is necessary.
- Cover the charging plot with tapes if the charging plot is at the back of the watch face.
- Limit the use of your fitness tracker.
- Avoid using your fitness tracker while charging.
- Put your fitness trackers away from your head if you are sleeping.
- Pick a fitness tracker that requires you to plug in to transmit the data of your activities. Although this may be a little time consuming, it is considered safe.
- If you have chosen clip-based fitness trackers, you should undeniably avoid wearing them in the mid-section near your breasts or other reproductive areas.
- Try using the device for a week and then have a gap in between to know the pattern of your activities.
What Are the Symptoms of Health Risks Caused By Fitness Tracker?
The EMF Radiation, as well as materials used in the fitness band, can cause you to experience some discomfort in its use.
Though researchers argue that the amount of radiation these fitness bands emit is absorbed by our body with safety, the potential risk of the symptoms increases with the increase in usage of fitness bands without proper knowledge of how to wear it.
Some of the symptoms that most people complain about are mentioned below:
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Wrist Pain
- Rashes in the wrist or redness of the skin
- Irritation of skin
- Sleep disorders
- Nausea
- Foggy Brain
Although these may seem to be small issues, it can cause hindrance in the future occurrences. Some severe cases might even include Alzheimer’s, cancer, as well as heart diseases.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is time for you to give your fitness tracker a little rest. Check the section on how to wear a fitness tracker correctly. If the problem persists for several days, you should go to see a doctor.
How to Cure Wrist Pain Caused By A Fitness Tracker?
Since wrist pain is common in many people due to common mistakes in usage, there is a solution to this. About 50 percent of the people are wearing smart bands improperly.
So what to do when you start to experience wrist pain? There are a few things that you can do, which are mentioned below:
Give Your Wrist A Rest
Excessive usage of a fitness tracker can damage your skin because they trap your skin. Hence, you should let your skin breathe some air.
If your fitness tracker is causing you pain, then you are probably facing wearing those tightly. For the pain to go away, try giving your wrist rest for about two to three days.
If the pain persists, then you might have to go visit a doctor. Since fitness bands are not only the thing that can cause you wrist pain, it might be a serious issue.
Clean Your Fitness Tracker
Fitness trackers start accumulating dirt, water as well as your sweat overtime. All these things can lead to developing rashes on your skin.
Just imagine not bathing for more than a week! This is what your skin faces if you do not clean or dry the fitness tracker.
Many fitness trackers, including Fitbit, have mentioned the importance of cleaning and drying bands on their website. This is an essential part, indeed.
Do Not Wear Your Fitness Band Too Tightly
The key thing to notice here is that you have to wear your fitness band in such a way that it can easily swing back and forth. Your skin needs to breathe.
For instance, think about wearing a tight dress for the party. The first thing you do when you get back is taking off the dress, right? The same thing goes for your wrist while wearing fitness bands.
You might not notice it is tight unless it is too late and you are already having wrist pains. For this reason, you should always check if it is too tight. Moreover, you should only tighten it when you are exercising if you want a correct heart rate monitoring. However, it is important not to forget to loosen it when you get back.
How to Wear Fitness Tracker Correctly?
Wearing a fitness tracker correctly not only makes you utilize the most out of it, but it also decreases risks of health issues.
For a fact, about 10 percent of people using fitness bands are wearing them tightly. What are the things you should consider while wearing your fitness bands then?
- Wear your fitness band on your non-dominant hand. This is because it prevents much dirt, water, and sweat from your body from accumulating on your fitness band. It also provides you accurate readings.
- Moreover, wear your fitness band around your wrist rather than under your wrist. This ensures you better battery life and low radiation risk on your nerves.
- Likewise, your fitness band should fit on your wrist, just two fingers above the crease of your wrist bone. While exercising, you can use it one finger below the wrist bone.
- Furthermore, make sure that you can turn your fitness band sideways. The key point here is not to wear the fitness band too tightly.
- Clean your fitness band with a lint cloth to make sure it is dry and dirt free.
- Give rest to your wrist. Do not wear your fitness tracker for too long.
- You should try not to connect your fitness tracker to your mobile phone via Bluetooth unless it is necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do EMF Radiations By Fitness Tracker Has Risk of Skin Irritations?
People often think that the EMF Radiations cause such irritations of the skin or their redness, and they stop wearing the band altogether. However, this is a wrong concept. Some allergies or wrong usage of the fitness bands can cause redness of the skin.
It is highly unlikely that radiation causes such irritations. In 2014, more than 10000 people contacted the Fitbit community with such complaints of skin irritation. However, the good thing is that they are quick to reply and help.
Fitbit has officially announced on their site how to wear a fitness band and keep the fitness band clean and dry regardless of its brand.
On the other hand, more devices like Apple Watch and Samsung cause skin irritations among people. Moreover, this results from improper use and allergies to the adhesive or bands used in by the fitness bands.
You do not have to worry. I suggest you check the material used in the fitness band before you make the purchase decision. Just follow the instructions given on how to wear a fitness tracker properly and keep it clean and dry. You are good to go then.
Are You Wearing Your Fitness Tracker For Too Long?
If your skin is getting itchy and your band makes a mark on your wrist, then probably you are wearing your fitness tracker for too long.
Though fitness trackers are supposed to measure your activity throughout the day and night, you should find time to give your wrist a rest.
The basic concept here is to avoid troubles of getting rashes as well as decreasing the time your skin is exposed to the allergic material.
We recommend you to check the material before you buy in the first hand. However, if you do, you can simply reduce your usage time to avoid any skin irritations.
When To Remove a Fitness Tracker?
You should remove a fitness tracker only when you have to charge your fitness tracker, right? Well, you are wrong in this case.
In contrast to this view, I recommend you to take off your fitness tracker whenever you are at rest or not involving in any fitness activity.
You can even take it off once in every two days to clean and dry the fitness tracker. This is a necessary step.
If you sweat too much during an activity, you may take time to remove and clean your fitness tracker right away. Majorly, this step is overlooked by many users, which causes them rashes and skin irritation by the sweat trapped in their skin.
Moreover, you may try to go two to three days without a fitness tracker if there are risks of any redness on your skin. Similarly, it applies to the times when you have wrist pain.
This is generally a sign that you have been overusing the fitness tracker and being prone to risks. Both you and your fitness tracker demand rest in such cases.
Last Words
Fitness trackers have taken over the market to replace many traditional watches. Almost 40 percent of the people around the world enjoy the usage of fitness trackers. Hence, there is a high usage of such a technological device.
Knowing the use of a fitness tracker properly before getting the most out of it is essential. Thus, knowing how to wear a fitness tracker, the additional risks associated with it as well as how to overcome such risks are basic knowledge that a consumer seeks.
We hope that you have now understood the advantage over risks of fitness trackers and how to overcome such risks. It is always a pleasure to have our daily activities sorted out and someone that looks after our health!
