A new study published in The Lancet Digital Health has found that data from wearable devices on heart rate and sleep can predict flu in real-time better than current surveillance methods.
The research used anonymous data collected from wearable devices, such as Fitbits and other smartwatches and fitness trackers, to retrospectively identify weeks with elevated resting heart rate and changes to routine sleep. Resting heart rate tends to increase during infectious episodes, allowing tracking and prediction of influenza-like illness.
