Garmin watches help predict panic attacks days in advance
Three long-term studies found that Garmin vívosmart fitness trackers might actually spot a panic attack before it happens. By mixing wearable data with info from apps and the user’s surroundings, researchers could see early warning signs days in advance.
Why Garmin vívosmart was used
The studies were carried out by the Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics at National Taiwan University. Across three cohorts, researchers observed participants over periods ranging from one to three years. The aim was to see if data collected by wearables could serve as an early warning system for panic disorder.
The ageing Garmin vívosmart series was chosen because of its compact size, comfortable all-day wear, and long battery life. Participants wore the trackers daily and also logged their mood, environment and other factors via a mobile app. Together, this created a rich dataset that could be used to train a machine learning model.
What the researchers found
In the first phase of the study, 59 participants were monitored for one year. Their physiological data and environmental inputs were used to build a prediction model. The results showed that it was possible to forecast a panic attack up to seven days in advance.
Follow-up studies ran for longer and included more variables such as sleep quality, physical activity levels and deeper psychological assessments. The model improved in accuracy, with researchers reporting over 92 percent success in predicting when symptoms would worsen in the coming week.
They also identified specific targets that seemed to reduce risk. These included a resting heart rate between 55 and 60 bpm, a daily average heart rate of 72 to 87 bpm, and a max of 100 to 145 bpm. On the sleep front, between 6 hours 23 minutes and 10 hours 50 minutes of total sleep, at least 50 minutes of deep sleep and less than 53 minutes of awake time during the night appeared to offer protective effects. Regular physical activity and climbing at least nine floors per day were also associated with fewer attacks.
Understanding panic disorder
Panic disorder is a condition where a person experiences recurring and unexpected panic attacks. These are intense periods of fear or discomfort, often peaking within minutes, and accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath or dizziness. Unlike general anxiety, panic attacks appear suddenly, sometimes without a clear trigger.
Roughly 2 to 3 percent of people will experience panic disorder at some point. Because the episodes can come out of nowhere, they are difficult to prevent. Many people feel constantly on edge, waiting for the next one. That’s why early prediction could make a big difference, offering a chance to act before symptoms spiral.
Wearables and mental health tech are converging
This study fits into a broader shift in how wearable tech is being used. Devices that once focused mainly on steps and calories are now tracking stress, recovery and even mood. The vívosmart studies highlight how that passive data can be turned into something much more proactive.
One reason these studies could make such accurate predictions is because of the amount and consistency of data collected. Machine learning models thrive on regular, continuous inputs. Unlike sporadic survey responses or one-off health checks, wearable data offers a rolling snapshot of a person’s physiology and behaviour.
This let the researchers train a model that could detect subtle changes in sleep, heart rate or movement patterns that often precede panic attacks. Once those patterns are understood, they can be flagged before a full-blown episode develops. That opens the door to preventative care, rather than reactive treatment.
It’s early days, but the direction of travel is clear. If wearables can act as a warning system for panic attacks, they could become part of the standard toolkit for managing mental health conditions. The same sensors used for counting steps or tracking workouts could end up helping people avoid one of the most overwhelming psychological experiences there is.
Source: Garmin
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