Top ways in which your smartphone can improve your health

Smartphones and other handheld devices are often much maligned for the negative impact they can have on our overall health – particularly when they are used to excess.

However, what is less often mentioned is how they can promote good health in many ways, and can provide ways of ensuring that we keep to our exercise routines, have a healthy heart, and even get a good night’s sleep. These health perks go well beyond the easy hit of dopamine that users get from accumulating likes of social media, which the epidemic of smartphone addiction is largely attributed to.

With that in mind, this article explores some of the top ways in which our extensive use of smartphones can be a cause for good in our lives.

Heart rate monitor

Your smartphone gives you access to a heart rate monitor, which can be a handy tool when doing serious exercise. Your heart rate provides a clear indication of your overall health, so it’s important to check this regularly.

Of course, there are several apps out there which offer this, so it’s always a good idea to read the reviews or check out some review sites before downloading – particularly if it’s not a free app.

Track your moods

Our emotions can impact on our overall health. For example, laughter and happiness can release endorphins and reduce stress, leading to an improve state of mental wellbeing. Conversely, negative emotions over a prolonged period can place us under intense stress and lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.

Mood Tracker apps on your smartphone can measure your emotional output and monitor your mood, allowing you to pin down what causes your good or bad moods. This may allow you to create more of what makes you feel good, and less of what does the opposite.

Sleeping patterns

A good night’s sleep is crucial to good overall health. Poor or disturbed sleep can leave us feeling tired, stressed, and short tempered, whereas a healthy sleep pattern provides us with the optimum amount of rest required to carry out all our tasks in waking hours.

Your smartphone can track this, and can monitor your activity while you sleep. The apps which specialise in this can provide you with information such as what night you sleep best, how much noise you made, and how many times you became disturbed. This can help you to tailor your sleeping arrangements and remove anything that may be preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep.

Calorie counting

Sleeping well and getting enough exercise are important, as is watching what we eat. Calorie counting apps allow us to keep track of the amount of calories consumed with each meal, as well as the amount of salt, sugar and fat which are harmful to health if over-consumed.

Some apps can even provide meal ideas if you’re looking to deviate from your usual eating habits. This can be particularly useful if your app is telling you that you’re regularly overeating.