Your Body's Data

Your Body Has Data—But What Is It Telling You?

By the UWM editors

How to use your wearable data to deepen intuition instead of anxiety.

We live in an age where nearly every bodily rhythm is measurable. Devices like the Oura Ring, Apple Watch, and Whoop Band track everything from steps and sleep cycles to heart rate variability (HRV) and recovery scores.

But knowing more doesn’t always mean understanding more. Many people report increased stress from tracking apps when their data doesn’t “look perfect.” A 2022 study published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth found that while wearables can motivate healthier habits, constant self-quantification can also heighten anxiety or reduce intrinsic motivation for well-being.

So how can you use data without letting it use you? By treating it as feedback, not a verdict on how well you’re doing.

Translate Data into Awareness, Not Judgment

Heart rate variability (HRV), for example, measures the subtle variation between heartbeats—a sign of how adaptable your nervous system is. A higher HRV generally indicates greater resilience, but context matters. HRV naturally dips after intense exercise, stress, or even emotional upheaval.

Instead of thinking, “My HRV is low; I’m failing,” you can think, “My body needs recovery.” As Harvard Health explains, HRV is best used as a long-term trend rather than a daily grade—it’s your nervous system’s way of saying how ready you are for challenge or rest.

Look for Emotional Correlations

Wearables can track physiological states, but you add the emotional layer. Did you feel tense the day your resting heart rate spiked? Calm when your sleep improved? Writing a few words about how you felt alongside your data bridges the gap between numbers and experience.

This practice mirrors what psychologists call interoceptive awareness—your ability to sense internal body states. Research from Frontiers in Psychology links interoceptive awareness to greater emotional intelligence and resilience, showing that people who better interpret internal sensations also tend to regulate emotions more effectively.

Try this in practice: each week, jot down three sentences—

• “What was my body telling me?”

• “What emotions did I notice?”

• “What can I learn from this pattern?”

Create a Weekly Reflection Ritual

Checking your stats daily can lead to obsession; weekly reviews build perspective. Set aside 10 minutes once a week to glance at your core metrics—sleep, HRV, and steps. Ask: What supports me? What drains me?

Pair your numbers with lifestyle notes (hydration, caffeine, connection, creativity). Over time, you’ll start to see connections between your choices and your state of mind.

If you use journaling tools like Notion or Daylio, link your reflections to your tracker data for a fuller picture.

Use Your Tracker as a Translator, Not a Critic

Numbers don’t hold meaning until you interpret them. Let your data translate what your body already knows. A night of restless sleep? Maybe your mind was full. A low recovery score? Perhaps you need stillness, not another run.

Your body is always speaking. Data just helps you hear the information.

When you treat tracking as a dialogue instead of a test, the process shifts from performance to partnership. You’re not optimizing; you’re listening.