What if there was a way to detect a virus before you got any symptoms? If you could do that, you could take precautions to a) stay away from others, and b) beef up your immune system to fight the virus.
Well, believe it or not, there is such a way. And studies show that it’s 90% accurate!
And that’s not all. Not only can it predict a virus, but it can predict whether it’s going to be mild or severe. And it can even predict what symptoms you’re likely to get!
News of this breakthrough first came to light when researchers at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute did a study.
In the study, the researchers tracked more than 1,000 frontline healthcare workers for body temperature, sleep patterns, heart rate, respiratory rate, and other markers.
They found that people who became infected with a virus had three distinct markers. And when these markers were present, 9 out of 10 people got a full-blown infection!
What are these three markers?
The first is heart rate. When a virus is present, even before other symptoms show up, it can lead to stress on the heart. And stress on the heart means the heart has to work harder, leading to an increase in heart rate.
The second is sleep patterns. During the research, Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Rockefeller Center at West Virginia University found that sleep patterns become interrupted days before symptoms emerged.
The third is average body temperature. Similarly, changes in average body temperature over a period of 2 or 3 days can indicate a coming fever.
The good news is that you can keep track of these markers easily. All you have to do is use a wearable device like a FitBit, Oura Ring, or Apple Watch. Each of these devices can track your heart rate, sleep patterns, body temperature, and respiratory rate.
In fact, these very devices have been proven to work in university studies.
In one study, scientists at Stanford University followed a group of people who wore FitBit watches. They tracked patterns of resting heart rate, changes in temperature, and sleep schedules. Result: 78% of people with elevated markers got sick just days later.
In another study, researchers at the University of California followed 12,000 Oura Ring users.
And just like with the FitBit users, heart rate spiked, average temperature went up, and sleep patterns became disrupted days before a virus struck.
The makers of Oura Ring are so encouraged by the initial studies, they’ve given out more than 2,000 of the devices for free to hospital staff and other healthcare workers.
Even more amazing, the researchers who performed the studies were also able to predict the type and severity of the symptoms! How? By monitoring how many of the three markers a person may have.
One person may exhibit just one of the markers, so their symptoms will generally be mild. But in a person who shows signs of all three markers, their symptoms will usually be more severe.
Similarly, if a person experiences only a rise in body temperature, it’s almost certain their symptom would be a fever. But if another person gets a rise in temperature, increased heart rate, and disrupted sleep, there’s a high chance that they’d get symptoms of fever, body pains, and fatigue.
Should you invest in wearable technology like FitBit or Oura Ring? Personally, I think so. Not only do they serve as an early-warning system for viruses, but they offer other benefits as well. They help you keep track of how you’re doing with positive habits, like going to bed at the right time and getting enough exercise.
The FitBit costs about $150 and is available at Amazon and other retailers.
The Oura ring costs $299 or $399, depending on the model, and is available at https://ouraring.com.
And Apple Watches cost between $399 and $799 and are available at Apple and various retailers.
I’ve never compared these devices and cannot speak as to the relative pros and cons of each. But I do have friends who use each of them and they’re all pretty happy.
Whichever device you use, I think you’ll get good results. Drop me a line and let me know.