#Smartwatches

A large new study tracking nearly 800 students over three months finds that consumer smartwatches—using heart rate and heart rate variability to infer “stress”—have almost no relationship with how people say they actually feel, though the devices do better at measuring sleep. The research, part of a programme aiming to build an early-warning system for depression, raises urgent questions about how Thais who use wearables should interpret stress scores, how employers and clinicians might rely on such data, and what researchers must do next to make physiological monitoring clinically useful Gizmodo The Guardian Leiden University.

A leading running coach is urging Thai runners to shift their focus away from pace, cadence, and even distance, advising that heart rate monitoring should be the primary metric to track for both beginners and experienced athletes alike. According to the latest expert guidance published by Fit&Well, heart rate offers critical insights for optimizing performance, preventing overtraining, and tracking long-term fitness (Fit&Well).

The significance of this advice speaks directly to Thailand’s expanding community of health-conscious citizens. With the nation’s urban parks bustling with recreational runners and participation in local marathons and charity runs on the rise, there is increasing interest in sports science and personal fitness technologies. The push toward heart rate tracking reflects a broader global movement toward more individualized, data-driven training—a trend now also being embraced by Thai running enthusiasts.