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Garmin watches are one of many smartwatch brands available today. If you’re considering purchasing one but are worried about potential health effects, you might be concerned about the radiation emitted by Garmin watches. Here’s a brief overview:
Garmin watches, like all smartwatches, have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. Both of these are forms of EMF radiation, and while they’re low energy, the issue is how close they are to your body. The effect of radiation from Garmin watches isn’t dissimilar from that of a cellphone.
In this article, I’ll look at the radiation produced by Garmin watches and what you should do about it.
Also read: Apple Watch Radiation: Health Concerns and Protection Tips
How do Garmin Watches Work?
Smartwatches are just one of the latest developments in wearable tech. Essentially, they’re an extension of some of your smartphone’s capabilities that can be worn on the wrist.
Garmin is a longstanding brand of outdoor watches, and its smartwatches are no exception. They provide a more rugged shell than some other brands, making them great for those into fitness. Garmin watches contain the following features:
- Heart rate sensor
- GPSMotion sensor
- Bluetooth and wireless capabilities
The heart rate sensor and motion sensor both run on hardware, while everything else is powered by software that uses radio frequencies.
Radio frequencies are a common way for devices to communicate. They’re what allow Wi-Fi routers to function, and Bluetooth is another form of short-distance radio waves.
But what are the health impacts of RF radiation?
The FCC cites RF radiation as a potential carcinogen, but this is only in high doses. In lower doses, RF radiation can cause the skin and body tissue to heat up. And if this heat can’t be dissipated, it can cause discomfort and skin problems. That said, Garmin watches are fairly low energy.
Most smartwatches are designed to only use power when communicating with the phone or measuring metrics, which doesn’t have to be all the time. Most only use Wi-Fi when a connected router is in range, but Bluetooth is on whenever it’s connected to your phone.
Although this is the case, the main cause for concern is how close the radiation source is to your body. In fact, it’s touching your skin. Smartphones are considered to be most dangerous when you hold them against your head during a call.
While smartwatches emit less EMF radiation, they’re in constant contact with your body. Exposure time is one of the most important things when it comes to EMF radiation.
The longer you’re exposed to a source of radiation, the more of an issue it becomes. And as with most modern technologies, the biggest problem is that smart Garmin watches haven’t been around that long. This means we’re not entirely sure what the long-term health impacts will be.
Health Impacts of Radiation From Garmin Watches
As I mentioned, the biggest issue with all smartwatches is their proximity to your skin. This is a common complaint with things like wireless headphones and cellphones when making a call.
Those who are particularly sensitive to EMF radiation may experience the following issues when wearing a smartwatch:
- Skin rash
- Wrist pain
- Hot skin/discomfort
- Sensitive skin
It’s important to note that EMF radiation is cumulative, meaning the more you’re exposed to, the bigger a problem it becomes.
So wearing a source of EMF radiation, even a low energy one, on your wrist really might not be the best idea.
If you’ve experienced discomfort when wearing a Garmin watch, or any other smartwatch for that matter, it might be because of the watch’s RF waves.
Of course, the only way to test this is to remove it and see if the problem gets better.
How to Reduce EMF Exposure from Garmin Watches
If you’re understandably concerned about EMF radiation from Garmin watches and other smartwatches, it’s worth doing something about it. But your options aren’t as extensive as with other sources of EMF radiation because of the very nature of a smartwatch. Even so, here are my top suggestions for reducing your exposure.
1. Get an EMF meter
My first suggestion is always to get an EMF meter (Amazon link). Check out my review of the Trifield TF2. This is the only way to truly test how much EMF radiation your device is emitting.
EMF radiation is measured in various ways, but one of the standard units is volts per meter (V/m).
Microwave ovens produce 14 V/m and are considered safe when used infrequently.
There’s no way your Garmin watch will produce more EMF radiation than a microwave but test it anyway just to be sure.
2. Only wear the watch when exercising
If you own a Garmin watch, ask yourself why. Do you wear it to measure your health metrics when exercising, or is it just for fun?
If it’s the latter, simply get rid of it. Smartwatches offer little positive benefit over not owning one. After all, how hard is it to get your phone out of your pocket?
But it’s understandable that a smartwatch is useful for tracking your health when exercising.
I’d recommend only wearing it when you’re actually exercising, as this is the only time you need this information.
There’s no real benefit to wearing it all the time, particularly at work. And the less time you wear it, the less EMF radiation you’ll be exposed to.
3. Disable its wireless functions
Another option, particularly if you want to constantly track your fitness, is to turn off the watch’s wireless functions.
As mentioned, it’ll only connect to Wi-Fi when in range, but you can turn the Bluetooth off too.
You can then sync the data later in the day when you’re at home and can keep your distance from the communicating devices.
Some Final Thoughts
I hope this article has given you some more information on radiation from Garmin watches. I found that, while they’re not major sources of EMF, it’s the proximity to your skin that really matters.