A new study from the Netherlands has called into question the reliability of Smart Watch data.

Many people wear smart watches not only to keep track of the time, but also to keep an eye on their own health and fitness stats.

However, Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly explained that the data may not be as accurate as previously believed.

“This has come out of the Netherlands; Leiden University looked at the long-term use of 800 young to middle-aged people wearing a Garmin watch, which is a particular Smart Watch,” she told Newstalk Breakfast.

“What they found was that the watch couldn’t distinguish between somebody being under stress and somebody excited.

“Very often they use metrics like your resting heart rate and so on; and what [this study] found was it was more reliable when it came to the sleep statistics, in that it could have a good approximation of your duration of sleep.

“But in terms of the insight into how well rested somebody was, it wasn’t massively accurate.”

Trail runner athlete using her smart watch app to monitor fitness progress or heart rate during run cardio workout.

Jess said it is important to highlight the results of this study, as more and more people use Smart Watches to guide their own personal health and fitness routines.

“I remember when I started wearing a smart watch, I started to feel quite anxious because it was pushing me and pulsing me, telling me, ‘Get up, you haven’t moved enough today’.

“If that’s the first thing that you see, it can actually influence your mindset as well.”

According to Jess, this is a good reminder that these are not “medical grade devices, they are essentially fitness trackers”.

She said that while Smart Watches can be useful guides, people should still prioritise getting health advice from their GP and other medical professionals above all else.

Main image: Jess Kelly (L), Smart Watch (R).