A large section of people in developed and developing societies are facing serious health issues such as obesity, putting them under threat of various illnesses. Such cases are rising at an alarming rate. As a result, a number of awareness programs are being organized about maintaining good health. Obese people are at a higher risk of getting lifestyle diseases like Diabetes and heart ailments. There is no direct solution to this problem. However, with growing awareness, people are adopting measures to improve their health such as regular workout and exercise. With wearables like smart wristbands and sensor-laden clothing, that measures an impressive range of parameters, awareness about keeping good health has increased significantly.

Here is a list of how different wearables are making an impact in the world of health and fitness:

1. Accurate medical diagnosis

With state-of-the art sensors on a patient’s body, doctors get access to a patient’s biological history that help them in identifying the symptoms. It helps doctors give an accurate medical diagnosis, as a result improving the condition of patients. For example the VITALITI Medical Monitor by Cloud DX is one of the most advanced wearable device that measures a wide range of vitals such as heart rate variability, core body temperature, sleep cycles, respiration rate among others. It goes above and beyond the typical fitness devices as it has sensors that measure ECG and blood pressure. It is a light-weight device that needs to be worn over three days to give accurate results.

2. Maintaining personal fitness becoming a fun-filled activity

Wearable devices help you monitor and track calorie intake, sleep pattern and fitness levels among other things. They encourage you to set goals and challenges which makes the entire experience a fun-filled activity. FitBit for instance is the market leader right now in wearables mainly because of its effort to spread awareness of the segment and the wide range of products which it offers. FitBitattracts a number of fitness freaks with a combination of marketing know-how and compelling software. Its desktop dashboard provide a complete look at fitness data, with an option to join and challenge friends.

3. Increased life expectancy

With smart wearables, people will get to know of any signs that indicate the onset of serious illnesses. The knowledge about the warning signs will make sure that people take precautionary measures to stop the growth of the illness which in turn increases the life expectancy of people. As more people get access to wearable device, their life expectancy is bound to increase according to a study by Gartner. Gartner’s conclusion is based on the fact that wearables help people get control over their health. It presents a big opportunity to take advantage of health practices that are repeatedly forgotten about.

4. Patients taking control of their own health

Wearables help patients get real-time data thus empowering them to have control of health in their own hands. They don’t have to seek the opinion or feedback of doctors each time they want to know the condition of their health. It helps them in making decisions on issues affecting their bodies. Wearables keep patients responsible for their health and help them focus on their goals. With biosensing clothing like Heddoko and Hexoskin, wearers get to know exactly in which part of the body they are putting too much pressure. Such clothing are used commonly by athletes and sports-persons right now to help them avoid injuries, but over time general consumers will be using it on a large scale to monitor their health.

5. Reduced healthcare costs

The cost of treatment for diseases is significantly lower if they are identified at the early stages. Smart wearables help detect the onset of deadly diseases at the early phase of their development thereby reducing the overall cost of treatment. Digital remote monitoring solution impacts patients suffering from chronic diseases. Wearable devices and cloud-based monitoring technologies jointly enable sharp fall in hospital charges and healthcare costs.

Wearables for the healthcare industry is a rapidly growing market. The technology is innovative and it is getting clearance from regulatory boards all over the world. Cloud based technologies are also expected to play a big role in the future of healthcare smart wearables industry. Many of these technologies are still under development so the public is not aware, but some have been out and are being accepted by fitness enthusiasts with open arms. These products are surely going to become more popular to the consumer in the coming years. Over time the cost of these devices will surely come down and may well become an integral part of a person’s fitness regime.

The above list is only a subset of the changes that wearable devices can bring to the healthcare industry as their potential is immense and the best is yet to come.