How does the Samsung Galaxy Watch measure stress?

Controlling stress levels is important to well-being alongside physical activity and a healthy diet. Prolonged, heightened periods of stress can hurt health and can cause behavioral changes, aches and pains, headaches, and insomnia, among other issues. More smartwatch and fitness tracker makers, like Samsung, recognize this link and bake stress monitoring features into their devices. But how do you use the Samsung Galaxy Watch to measure stress? Find out below.

How does the Samsung Galaxy Watch measure stress?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, 5, and 4 use a combination of heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) data to determine stress levels. HRV measures the interval between heartbeats and is just as important as estimating physiological stress as the number of beats your heart completes per minute.

But why use HRV to measure stress? According to Harvard, HRV is controlled by our autonomic nervous system (ANS). It’s a part of our nervous system that automatically adjusts our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate in response to environmental stressors. This part of the nervous system is balanced by two parts that control our high stress flight/fight response and relaxed states. If your HRV is low — if there exists a slight variation between heartbeats — it’s a possible indicator that your ANS could be in a higher stress mode. If your HRV is high and the intervals between heartbeats are more varied, you’re likely in a more relaxed state.

Although it’s among the more common methods, not all smartwatches use HRV to measure stress. The Fitbit Sense series and the Pixel Watch 2 use EDA, or electrodermal activity sensors, to gauge the body’s physical response to ANS changes. These sensors sample the skin’s electrical conductivity variation caused by sweat.

How to take a stress reading on the Galaxy Watch

You can initiate manual stress readings on the Galaxy Watch 6, 5, and 4 by following the steps below.

1. Open Samsung Health on your watch.
2. Scroll down to the Stress section and tap on it.
3. Tap Measure to initiate a reading.

The watch must remain snug on your wrist while it takes the reading. You’ll see what appears to be a graph measuring your heart’s rhythm on the screen. Once the reading is complete, the watch will show you how stressed you are on a line graph. Green indicates low stress, while red indicates high stress. The Galaxy Watch will display your average with a dotted line on the graph.

How to activate automatic stress monitoring on the Galaxy Watch

You can also activate automatic stress readings on the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4. If you’re particularly worried about your stress levels or find the manual measurements too cumbersome, we recommend switching this feature on.

1. Open Samsung Health on your watch.
2. Scroll down to Settings and tap on it.
3. Under the Measurement section, tap Stress.
4. Toggle on Measure continuously.

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