To monitor your numbers, some Fitbit wearers can install a free SpO2 clock face, which leverages data from the red and infrared sensors on the device to measure estimated oxygen levels in the blood while you are sleeping. Likewise, Garmin has an Oxygen Widget that can calculate the percentage of oxygen in your blood, even when you are several meters above sea level and your SpO2 levels change due to altitude. Whoop, Apple, and Oura also have SpO2 features.

As is the case with heart rate data, senior athletes should not assume that the latest wearable—no matter how high-tech—is a mini-doctor on the wrist. The doctors we spoke with say that when your wearable alerts you to a potential problem, like a drop in SpO2 levels, rather than panic, see a doctor to have them interpret not only the data, but any symptoms you may be experiencing.

Wearables Can Personalize Daily Activity Goals

Some metrics, including skin temperature, are reliably stable, meaning they don’t change much from day to day even when you’re exercising or at rest. For example, while your body temperature lowers a bit when you sleep, it rises again to “normal” when you begin to move.

While most wearables don’t shout your temperature on the clock face or app, they will alert you if there is an unexpected variation. According to a 2023 article in The Lancet, when elevated body temperature accompanies elevated resting heart rates, researchers can accurately estimate the prevalence of the flu using data from wearable devices alone.

Skin temperature is also one of the key data points that determines the Daily Readiness Score from Oura and gets factored into your Health Monitor with Whoop.

“Readiness” refers to how much rest or exercise you should consider every day. A quality wearable suggests when you should move more or take more rest on its app.

To that end, studies have demonstrated that wearables help seniors become more active. One way they do that is prompting users to get up after a certain amount of idle time. You may be very comfortable sitting on your couch, but when your watch or ring sends you an alert to move, one of the best things you can do for your health is heed the warning and get some activity.

Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you need to immediately get on your bike. Instead, Oura, through its Automatic Activity Detection, recognizes movement such as housework or yardwork or a light walk, as does Fitbit.

Famously, the Apple Watch encourages you to get up and move so you hit your stand goal for the day—one of the three rings—which requires you to move every hour. It also promotes exercise through the other two rings: exercise and active calories.

While many cyclists may think counting steps is less important than long rides, even cyclists who ride for an hour a day benefit from consistent movement throughout the day, outside of workouts.

Therefore, it is good practice to let your wearable boss you around a bit. Following its advice has been shown to lead to better health and fitness habits. Multiple studies have demonstrated that long periods of sitting negatively affect our longevity and metabolic health, and interrupting those inactive periods with movement is key.

What Wearable Tech Cannot Do for Seniors

It’s important to note that, to best utilize these metrics, you’ll need to do more than just look at your watch or your ring. With all wearables, it’s helpful to dedicate some time to familiarizing yourself with the app that goes with your device. “The first time you use it, there will be onboarding screens with what to expect and educational information about your Readiness Score, Sleep Score, and Activity Scores,” Caroline Kryder, women’s health lead and product manager at Oura tells Bicycling. Or whatever scores and data your wearable tracks.

All of the apps have videos and information screens that offer multiple ways to understand the data, and engaging with that technology is key to reaping the benefits of the information. If you aren’t someone who nerds out on numbers, ask your doctor if there is information they would find helpful to your care so you know what to pay attention to the most. And remember: To gain the benefits of wearables for seniors, you also have to regularly see your doctor and make sure to share any deviations in your metrics with them so you can figure out the best next steps.