Stress-relief wearables: Can they really calm you down?

How do you manage stress? Do you sit quietly and take a few deep breaths or practice yoga to relieve tension? Maybe you’ve found the most effective remedy for stress is lightening the load by setting firmer boundaries with others.

However you manage stress, it’s fair to say that no method is full-proof. Stress has a sneaky habit of sneaking back up on us even when we do our best to keep it under control. Could stress-relief wearables be the secret to keeping persistent stress under control? 

Stress-relief wearables come in all shapes and sizes. The best way to think of them is like a FitBit, but instead of tracking your steps and calories burned, they tune into your level of stress. 

Some devices are worn on the wrist, others are placed on your arms or chest—and a slew of them have hit the market in recent years. 

Most work by interrupting the body’s stress response with low-frequency sound and vibration. This subtle stimulus is said to stimulate the nervous system, providing an instant hit of relaxation.

They certainly sound the part, but are stress-relief wearables really an effective remedy for the stress many of us feel day to day?

Stress-relief wearables remind you to pause and take a step back from stressful situations

Anji McGrandles, a workplace mental wellbeing expert and founder of The Mind Tribe, says stress management is not one-size-fits-all, but she believes stress-relief wearables are not without merit.

“It’s important to recognise that these devices won’t take away your problems but they can encourage you to take mental breaks and switch off, so you are better equipped to manage challenges,” she explains.

“They are essentially encouraging a form of mindfulness and, with regular practice, you will start to respond rather than react to stressful situations.”

It all depends on the device you choose too. “Each device is different. Some can be used proactively to manage stress while others sense stress and respond automatically,” says McGrandles.

Most devices vibrate at a range of frequencies that stimulate the nervous system and combine this technique with sound or prompts on an app.

“This process stimulates the vagus nerve and triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes calm,” McGrandles surmises.

It would be easy to write these devices off as just another gimmick. After all, how good can a piece of tech really be at reading what’s going on inside your mind and body? Pretty good, actually, according to psychotherapist Tania Taylor.

She says there’s lots of research that states stress-relief wearables are as good at detecting changes to our stress levels as hospital medical equipment is.

However, she notes that independent research is still in its infancy, with many studies being directly funded by the institutions that will profit from the sales of these devices.

Still, with a little buzz or a bing, stress relief wearables can act as a reminder to detach from stress; to take a deep breath, and gain some perspective when it all feels like too much.

Stress-relief wearables work best in conjunction with other stress management methods, like meditation

Of course, anyone who has battled with chronic stress (according to research, that would be most of us) will know that it’s a complex beast to contend with, and so any remedy will have its limits.

“These devices are said to help your body physically cope with the stressful demands of your everyday life. While this is wonderful in one sense (if it works), it effectively puts a plaster over a wound without first treating it,” Taylor points out.

“Learning effective techniques to help you cope with or reduce the levels of stress you are exposed to can be a longer-term solution that may also prevent relapse.”

McGrandles concurs with that sentiment. “These devices will help support stress management but they won’t necessarily solve your stress,” she surmises.  

“And not all the devices will work in the moment or are practical, for example, if you are at work and feeling stressed it probably isn’t possible to pop a device around your head or chest.”

Add to that, many wearable devices are costly so they won’t be an option for everyone. 

So the jury’s out on stress-relief wearables. Yes, they can interrupt your body’s stress response and even encourage you to be more mindful, but they only work at surface level, failing to tackle the root cause of your stress.

With that in mind, how can you cope if you feel like you're in permanent crisis? McGrandles says identifying your stressors will help you manage them better.

“It’s useful to keep a stress diary over two to three weeks and note the triggers, day and time, scenario, and how stressed you were on a scale of one to ten,” she says. 

“Then after a couple of weeks, you can review and identify any trends that are reoccurring. This simple practice can help you work out practical solutions.”

For Taylor, it’s often the simple things that work best. She recommends the stress-relieving benefits of exercise, laughter, and positive interactions with others.

Stress management tools come and go, but some remedies are as old as time. And often, they’re the best ones.

If you are interested in stress-relief wearables and items, you can find them on Amazon.

Read more: Stress test: are you stressed?

Read more: Busting stress and anxiety with hypnosis

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