While wearables encourage people to build healthy habits, over-dependence can trigger panic, say doctors
A young gym-goer frantically telephoned a cardiologist after his smartwatch showed a heart rate of 38 beats per minute since the normal is usually between 60 and 100. “When he removed and re-wore the watch, it showed 100 bpm. It was clearly an error, but it caused him immense anxiety,” says Dr Abhijit Vaidya, the Pune-based cardiologist who received the call.