Are you stressed? Before you stop to think, take a look at your wrist. Granted, there’s probably nothing there now, but researchers from the University of Birmingham have created a wearable sensor that just might be able to detect your stress levels before you do.
The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, details a wearable sensor that can take readings for up to 72 hours, identifying early omens of endocrine diseases with more precision than current tests taken at a singular point during the day. No need for needles.
A little stress — hormone, that is — is essential for a healthy, normal life. But defining what normal hormone levels look like during an extended period has proven harder. The device, called U-RHYTHM, would free patients from having to remain inside a hospital for blood tests over the course of a day, instead painlessly sampling from beneath the skin throughout their normal activities, including eating and sleeping.
The researchers say understanding what normal hormone patterns look like across populations could help providers better identify early signs of endocrine disorders.
Though the device is far from being readily accessible to anyone who needs it, the potential is there. And, in addition to a better frame of reference for healthy hormone levels across various ages, genders and ethnicities, researchers would be able to remove patients’ need to travel to a hospital for extended testing and observation.
When given the option between blood draws under fluorescent lighting and something you might forget you’re even wearing, why not pick the one that’s a little bit less … stressful?