Wearable Gadgets

I love gadgets - I always have. I remember wanting a cash register for Christmas when I was a youngster because if the buttons and the noise. Years later I realized how much I liked anything digital - I learned a lot about tracking and observing trends working in the ICU and cath lab. Then Apple products came around and that took the cake and I never wore a watch again. Later on I looked for would something to help control hot flashes. I stumbled across the Embrwave wearable over three years ago and have been wearing the heating/cooling unit on my left wrist ever since. It is especially helpful during the night when I have trouble falling asleep. Last week I got my first Apple Watch. I never saw the need before but was curious about all of the cardiac features - especially since I have a very strong family history. I really like it a lot. It almost makes me feel more at ease knowing it can pick up irregular heart rates and also shows sleep cycles and tons of other features that I haven’t figured out yet - but I love exploring it all. So I wear the watch on my left wrist and the Embr wave on my right. Too bad the two devices couldn’t be combined. I still have to enter my blood pressure readings in manually to get a complete health summary. Then there’s the Hinge Health app that uses sensors to see how you are doing with exercise. You strap on the sensors and follow along on the app during the exercise program that is developed for you based on your major complaint - a free program through our health insurance. All of these things serve as great reminders to do things, keep you comfortable both mentally and physically, and offer encouragement to get moving or congratulate you for moving. It’s also a great record to bring to the doctor for an annual visit. I’m not sure what else will become available but I’m happy to try them out. I’m sure a lot of people couldn’t be bothered by any of it. But I am feeling more comfortable because of them. 

Embr Wave 2

My Embr Wave stopped working about two months ago. It’s a temperature control bracelet for the body - and it worked well for me. I stumbled upon it on Instagram when it first came out a few years ago and haven’t looked back. The first generation was rectangular and silver. It is controlled manually or by app to cool down or warm up. These days I tend to use it most during the night when I’m feeling anxious or having hot flashes. So when it stopped working I notified the company to share my disappointment. During that time the embr wave 2 was just about to be released. So I opted to wait for the new model rather than replace it immediately, but that would mean being without the device. Additionally a $50 rebate was provided, which also helped, along with a reduced rate for pre ordering. After a couple of emails regarding status updates, the new wave finally arrived yesterday - rose gold color (rather than black), round, thinner bracelet, and easier to use buttons. It arrived in an “Apple” like package. Having had one before it was easy to get started and connect using the app. The charger is also different - it sits on a small round platform rather than plugged in. I like the new model and used it about four times last night. I still need to get used to it after not having one for two months. I’m not sure I had it on when I thought I did a couple of times. I’m really not in to these sorts of gadgets but appreciate that it does help. Although I haven’t used the heating function much lately, it definitely helped in the past. Hopefully the bracelet will become second nature like before. Only time will tell. 

Too Much Work to Dress for Winter

We walk every morning. We live in a condo on Capitol Hill that has no amenities - that means no fitness center or 24 hour concierge service - just condo units. In summer, that means wearing shorts, shirt, sun hat and taking a water bottle to survive in the humid and hot weather. The path is oftentimes to Union Station so we can do some of the walk in air conditioning. Winter is something else. Having lived in the Midwest for thirty years was very cold, but DC winter matches it as far as temps and wind. In many respects the snowfall and blizzards also seem the same - just less frequent. But getting ready to walk out in this awful weather is exercise in itself - long underwear, stockings, wool socks, a second layer of pants, fleece, scarf, mittens, long winter coat with a faux fur hood, and a lumberjack hat. The one item I take with me everyday regardless of heat or cold is my Embr Wave bracelet. I set it to the extended mode for short bursts of continuous heat or cold depending on what’s going on outside. It really takes the edge off whatever extremes are out there. I used to prefer the heat to the cold, but I don’t like either extreme anymore. At least I have a gadget that helps me think it’s warmer, or cooler. But nothing will change the amount of clothes you have to pile on and take off. It reminds me of Ralphie’s little brother in “A Christmas Story.” That’s not very pretty - or funny at this age. 

Embr Wave Personal Thermostat for the Thermally Challenged

Since I can remember I have always been either too hot or too cold - usually too cold. You could say I am thermally challenged. When I grew up in Florida I always carried a sweater with me because I was freezing whenever I stepped indoors from the sweltering heat. In the winter months I am constantly freezing both indoors and outside. My last job at the Library of Congress was in an office so cold I had a space heater running for most of the day. And to this day, whenever we go out for dinner, I’m always cold. Let’s not even mention hormones. So it was with a great deal of interest when I came across Embr Wave on Instagram. I read about this wristwatch shaped device created at MIT that serves as a personal thermostat for people like me. Although it wasn’t exactly cheap, I decided to give it a try. It’s been a month now and I can say it has helped take the edge off in both circumstances. It’s been successful in freezing restaurants, in the evening when my husband is freezing and I am hot, during walks in the inferno of DC summers, and at night while sleeping when I just feel hot. You can sync it with a phone app that shows use over time and get updates to the firmware. The support response was satisfactory when I needed it. The recharge lasts a good bit. I plug it in about every five days or so. It’s probably all in my head, which is the basic premise. But if it works that’s all I care about. I pretty much leave it on all the time. It looks like a watch, etc. I’ve tried it on my husband a few times and he is half heartedly convinced - but he needs to try it more consistently. So if you’re always freezing or hot this little device may be something to consider.