Stress helps to react to external situations, but it can also harm our health. Being able to track our stress and find ways to reduce it is beneficial to our health and mental state in the long run.

A new Canadian study from the University of Waterloo was created to determine whether the Apple Watch can detect and track stress, as Bgr shares. 

According to the study, at present, Apple Watch can detect stress-free states, but it has struggled to capture stress states. The study authors suggest that the electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor on the Apple Watch "can be used to develop stress prediction tools."

The study entered the experiment based on the idea that an electrocardiogram sensor could be used to track stress and create a stress prediction tool that leverages ongoing health data from Apple Watch. 

Although the sample is small, the study provided 33 subjects with iPhone7 and Apple Watch Series6 to support ECG monitoring. Participants were instructed to collect ECG data 1 day 6 times at 3-hour intervals. They had to take a stress questionnaire before each collection. The duration of the study lasted 2 weeks.

"Our model showed specificity in its ability to assess 'stress-free' states, but was not very successful in capturing 'stress' states. Overall, the results shown here suggest that with further development and improvements, we can use Apple Watch ECG sensor data to develop stress prediction tools.

The study suggests that the majority of participants are white women and that socioeconomic factors may play a role in stress tracking. But the Apple Watch can also track sleep patterns and physical activity, which may improve stress tracking.

The authors concluded that with further development and improvements, they could use Apple Watch to develop stress prediction tools.

The Apple Watch10 is expected to come out with an updated design later this year. With the ongoing controversy over blood oxygen sensors, it will be interesting to see what health monitors the next generation of Apple Watch will have. There are rumors that it monitors sleep apnea and high blood pressure.

Note that Fitbit and Garmin now offer stress monitoring through a variety of sensors and tools. Fitbit tracks heart rate fluctuations and uses Eda scores, while Garmin uses heart rate data to determine the space between each heartbeat and determine the stress from it.