If you’re interested in the inner workings of your body, what are the best watches for health monitoring? Today’s smartwatches can do it all; ordering a pizza? Sure. Connecting with a satellite orbiting Earth? No problem. Whether you’re crushing Hyrox races or just trying to not suddenly die on your way to work, the latest generation of wearables makes it easier than ever to keep tabs on the metrics that matter most.
“Most doctor visits are just a snapshot — your vitals are taken, checked, and recorded in one place, one time,” says Parth Bhavsar, MD, board-certified family medicine physician. “But a health watch tracks data over weeks, months, or longer. That’s where the value is. Changes in resting heart rate, fitness, sleep, or movement typically happen gradually, and changes usually occur long before you become sick or need to visit a doctor.”
Here are the best watches for health monitoring, from tracking your sleep, heart health to stress levels and more.
Apple Watch Series 11
“Among the wearables in the market, the clinical data on the health features of Apple Watch are the strongest,” says Dr. Bhavsar. “This is particularly true in the case of the single-lead electrocardiogram for the detection of irregular heart rhythm.” And with the latest update, Apple Watch is now able to detect hypertension, or high blood pressure — a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease that affects over 1.3 billion adults worldwide. £369. At apple.com
Google Pixel Watch 4
Fans of the Android ecosystem need not stress. No, seriously — following Google’s acquisition of Fitbit, Pixel Watches now come with Fitbit’s body response feature that detects signs of stress in real time to help you keep your levels in check. Like the Pixel Watch 3, you’ll also be able to keep tabs on a range of core health metrics, including heart rate and sleep tracking — just with better battery life and more seamless Gemini integration. £349. At store.google.com
Garmin Venu 4
