I've been reading about these new heart rate/ oxygen/sleep monitoring wrist bands online, anyone have any suggestions on what works & what doesn't? My grandma has a leaking heart valve & when she sleeps, she exhales & doesn't inhale for a good minute or longer. I know that can't be good on her health. I'd like something that's • water resistant • good battery life • accurate • sleep tracker •heart rate/oxygen monitor • remote access to health stats • vibrates or lights up on incoming phone calls/texts (this is nice but not something she needs) and something that's simple & not bulky. With suggestions please list features so post is beneficial for anyone who comes across this question. Thank you!
So you find your all-singing all-dancing bells-and-whistles gizmo. And you install it on your - uncomplaining and compliant? - grandma. And the gizmo tells you, say 15-30 times per night, that your grandmother's heart rhythm is not all it might be and that her respiration varies outside normal parameters and that at 4:13 a.m. her O2 level dropped (probably because her hand flopped outside the bedclothes and partially dislodged the monitor).
And then? Watcher gonna do about it?
I understand - in fact, I distinctly remember - the insatiable desire for precise, reliable information at all times. But I did eventually learn that before you go digging for more data you need to have some idea of what you want it for.
Are you happy with your grandmother's cardiologist? Are you happy that in general she is well taken care of?
If nothing will change as a result of knowing more...then the effort to know more is useless. Save yourself the heartache
Plus your Grandmother might feel at night time she should take all her "jewelry" off, including whatever type of wristband item. Some wristband's could get snagged in one's hair at night depending on how a person sleeps.
As to the heart valve and breathing cessation issue, I think you'd be better off to see a pulmonary doctor and ask for an overnight sleep study. Their equipment is medically designed for specific situations like that, while the hot shot tech gizmos aren't to my knowledge used for medical testing on which decisions can be made by professionals.
You're wise to be alert and concerned about these issues though, but other than the blood pressure machines and pulse oxes, I think I'd rely on the professional equipment doctors use.
Frankly, you're looking for a lot of information, which might not all be available on one of the OTC tech devices. And more frankly, I wouldn't rely on something so important with results generated by a consumer device which probably has a lot of components made outside of the US, and may or may not meet specific standards, or be maintained or calibrated properly, especially since its my understanding that these are made for athletes who want to monitor literally their every breath, not for elders with different medical conditions.
Another basic question is whether or not your GM will actually wear this device.