Stay zen in the new year: stress measurement with Google.

But even with the holidays behind us, new stresses present themselves all the time. For a college student like Saeed Ahmed, learning stress management is part of his journey to becoming an adult. Like most students, he has a lot to balance: late nights finishing assignments, a social life, and a part-time job.

“There’s no guide on how to be an adult. It’s a lot of stress, because you're trying to figure out who you are and what type of person you want to be,” says Ahmed, who studies cybersecurity at the University of South Wales in the UK.

When signs of stress are measured by Ahmed’s Google Pixel Watch 2,¹ he will receive a Body Response notification prompting him to reflect on how he’s feeling in the moment. And if he wants to take action to help reduce his stress, the Pixel Watch 2 and Fitbit app provide guided breathing sessions and recommendations like taking a walk. A new continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensor on the Pixel Watch 2 uses a machine learning algorithm that also incorporates heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin temperature to point to possible signs of stress.² The algorithm picks up on physical indicators of positive and negative stress, including excitement. Over the first month of wearing Pixel Watch 2, the algorithm uses more and more of your data to determine your baseline activity and more accurately detect acute changes in your body’s stress physiology.

Fitbit Premium users receive a Daily Readiness Score, which indicates how ready their body is to take on the day based on previous activity, stress levels, and sleep quality. Premium also offers access to a full library of workouts and mindfulness sessions like meditation, relaxation exercises, and more.⁷ And when you buy a new Pixel Watch 2 or Fitbit Charge 6,³ you’ll get six months of Fitbit Premium for free.⁸

Whether you’re a student like Ahmed, a busy professional, or a full-time parent, the Pixel Watch 2 and Fitbit Charge 6, both with Google’s most accurate heart rate tracking yet,⁹ help you find ways to relieve stress and stay mindful by tracking vital indicators throughout the day.

“Wearables can help us visualize what's going on inside our bodies,” says Kent, who’s also the author of The Digital Health Self: Wellness, Tracking and Social Media. “That can be really empowering and comforting.”

Stress measurement and sleep tracking features don’t just help with stress relief. They also improve mental health, according to Rachael Kent, a professor of Digital Economy & Society Education at King’s College in London. 

In fact, Kent says, keeping track of the data behind our own experiences can also reduce self-doubt, lowering stress by confirming your instincts about your body.

Stress can make it difficult to do many things, including getting a good night of sleep. That’s why Kent suggests tracking stress and sleep in tandem, to understand if one is affecting the other.

“When you track sleep and stress levels at the same time, the data can speak to each other,” Kent says. In other words, by looking at two sources of information, you can start to understand if your stress problems are related to sleeping issues – or vice versa.

As Ahmed, the college student, learns more about how to manage his stress from the Body Notifications, he also keeps an eye on his Stress Management Score,¹⁰ which looks at responsiveness, exertion balance, sleep patterns, and other factors. Every morning, he also checks his Sleep Score,¹¹ a number from 0 to 100 that tells him how well he slept that night. Google’s expert-informed AI uses information about your sleep duration and time spent in deep sleep to generate the number, along with a monthly sleep profile and advanced sleep metrics. 

Another option for more insights into your sleep is Sleep Sensing on Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) ⁵, which uses motion and sound to monitor your z’s, including your breathing and even sleep disturbances, like coughing or snoring.¹² In the morning, just say, “Hey Google, how did I sleep last night?” to see your summary. As it gets to know your sleep pattern, you’ll get personalised tips to improve your sleep, so you wake up well rested and refreshed and stay energised throughout the day. 

While college students may be better known for pulling all-nighters of studying than full nights of sleep, Ahmed is making sleep and stress measurement and management a priority.

“My Pixel Watch has been a massive help in getting me to a point in my life where I’m managing stress better,” Ahmed says. “I'm going to have bigger stressors later in life, so I’m trying to get into good habits now.”