Do Digital Health Sensors Limit Our Freedom of Choice?

How do you live healthier with data? How do you get used to sensors and wearables? I receive plenty of questions after my keynotes about digital health; how it changes my life and how it could transform society in the future. A while ago, I was on stage in Lisbon, when someone asked me whether I think the use of health sensors might limit our freedom of choice. As it generated a discussion within The Medical Futurist team too, I decided to outline my position and the counter-arguments. Needless to say, I stood for technology not curbing our freedom in any way. Would sleep tracking limit your freedom of choice? For me, data means a source of self-understanding and a boost for better performance. In some previous articles, I have described how I track stress, how I changed my life with a simple excel spreadsheet or how you could live healthier with the help of technology. I have been tracking my sleep for years to be able to optimize it. So, I have quite an experience with apps, sensors, and methods. I even had a six-month-long sleep tracking experiment to get the most out of my sleep. I have tried many sensors ranging from Fitbit One and Surge to Viatom Checkme and Withings Pulse, but for me, the ultimate solution turned out to be the Pebble Time sensor and Android for Sleep app duo. This jackpot combination has been my companion for two years already. The app is the primary source of algorithms. It measures detailed sleep quality, while the sensor is measuring my movements, ...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Future of Medicine Health Sensors & Trackers Mobile Health digital digital health freedom freedom of choice gc3 Healthcare Personalized medicine technology wearables Source Type: blogs