# Hydration and Sweat Loss: The Need for Enhanced Functionality in Smartwatches
Smartwatches have emerged as essential gadgets for health and fitness enthusiasts in recent times. They provide various life-saving capabilities, including fall detection, SOS calling, and heart health monitoring, encompassing advanced alerts for conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib). Nevertheless, one vital health aspect that most smartwatches overlook is effective hydration tracking and monitoring of sweat loss.
While users can log their water consumption or establish hourly reminders to hydrate, the current offerings from major brands such as Samsung, Google, and Apple fall short of expectations. With global temperatures on the rise and extreme weather becoming more frequent, the issues of dehydration and heat exhaustion are becoming increasingly critical. It is high time for smartwatch developers to enhance their hydration and sweat loss tracking functionalities.
## Why Hydration Matters in Severe Conditions
The unfortunate passing of 35-year-old marathon runner Bobby Graves, who collapsed after completing a Disneyland half marathon under 100ºF conditions, underscores the significance of staying hydrated. Graves had suspected he was experiencing heat exhaustion a day prior to the race, and while the precise cause of his cardiac event is still being examined, experts have indicated dehydration as a likely contributor. This incident serves as a powerful reminder that even experienced athletes can face heat-related health issues when hydration is disregarded.
Smartwatches possess the capability to estimate sweat loss during physical activities, and some companies, like Samsung, claim to provide this functionality with clinical accuracy. However, many other brands, including Google and Apple, either overlook this feature or do not prioritize it. Considering the escalating dangers associated with extreme heat, it’s crucial for smartwatch vendors to prioritize hydration and sweat loss tracking.
## The State of Current Hydration Tracking: Basic at Best
Wear OS and WatchOS present a limited selection of hydration-tracking apps, including **WaterMinder** and **Waterllama**, whereas Samsung’s One UI Watch features a built-in Hydration tile. Garmin devices also enable users to access a Hydration Tracking glance from the Connect IQ store. These apps allow individuals to record their water consumption and establish reminders to drink throughout the day.
However, these solutions are quite basic. They often neglect significant contextual factors like environmental conditions or the completion of a vigorous workout. Users must manually modify their hydration targets, and incessant reminders can become so bothersome that many opt to disable them.
Certain fitness brands, such as Coros and Polar, provide reminders to hydrate during exercise, but these are based on predefined intervals rather than real-time analytics. Ideally, smartwatches should dynamically modify hydration advice based on actual sweat loss during workouts or changes in environmental factors such as heat and humidity.
## Sweat Tracking: An Overlooked Potential
Accurate tracking of sweat can be achieved with smartwatches, yet few manufacturers fully capitalize on this potential. Earlier this year, Samsung partnered with the University of Michigan for a clinical study that revealed its Galaxy Watches demonstrated 95% accuracy in estimating sweat loss when compared to medical-grade sensors. This is remarkable, particularly given that Samsung’s devices calculate sweat loss by taking into account body size, age, gender, heart rate, and environmental temperature.
Nonetheless, Samsung’s sweat tracking remains an estimation rather than a precise measurement. The only consumer device capable of directly measuring sweat loss is the **Nix Biosensor**, which adheres to the user’s arm and evaluates sweat rate based on the speed of perspiration passing through its electrodes. While this technology shows promise, it is mainly targeted at specialized markets and is primarily used by dedicated athletes during their training.
Meanwhile, Apple has secured a patent for a perspiration sensor that may one day measure fluid loss in real time, though it remains uncertain if this technology will be integrated into future Apple Watches. For now, a majority of smartwatches continue to rely on indirect methods to estimate sweat loss, leading to considerable variability among brands.
## Envisioning the Future of Hydration and Sweat Tracking
Picture a future where your smartwatch provides real-time updates on your sweat loss during exercise or while working outdoors in hot conditions. For instance, if you’re participating in a half marathon with a Samsung Galaxy Watch, the device could showcase your estimated sweat loss every few minutes or each mile. Upon reaching a specific threshold—say, after losing 500 milliliters of sweat—the watch could vibrate to remind you to hydrate.
If your sweat rate decreases during the run, possibly indicating dehydration, the watch could deliver an urgent alert, advising you to stop for hydration without delay. Following the workout, the watch could automatically record your sweat loss into its hydration tracking log and suggest drinking 150% of the lost fluids within the next one to two hours, consistent with current Samsung advice.
This type of real-time, context-aware hydration tracking could revolutionize the experience for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
