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Wearable Device Tracks Breathing Patterns To Sense Stress

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- In the world of wearable tech, tracking fitness activity is typically the main goal. But there's now a product that aims to help you manage your stress every day.

"My schedule is pretty hectic," Spire user Dr. Liz Scheufele said.

Stress is a daily part of life for this working mom of three young kids, so she was more than willing to try out Spire.

"It's probably one of the cutest wearables I've seen in a while," she said.

Users just clip on Spire, and it tracks the pattern of your breath to determine if you're calm, focused or tense.

"It kind of shows you how you're doing," she said.

If the breathing speeds up too much, Spire buzzes and a message pops up on your phone, reminding you to take a deep breath.

"There were a couple of times that usually involved watching all three kids at one time," she said.

"That simplicity of the feedback is what makes it so applicable and what makes it so actionable in daily life," Spire co-founder Neema Moraveji said. "You can take a deep breath without stopping what you're doing, without distracting from what you're doing."

While technology may add to modern-day stress levels, Moraveji says there's no realistic escape.

"The question became how could technology change and improve our state of mind," he said.

Along with alerts sent as needed, users can track and compare their activity levels and state of mind day-to-day. As a doctor, Liz recognizes how important the right kind of breathing can be.

"The exercise of deep breathing to bring you out of that tense state," she said. "I think that's highly valuable."

Peter Kazanjy, who's also been using Spire, says it's made him more mindful of his breathing and daily stress levels, and he thinks it's great.

"You kind of notice things, like maybe I'm hunched over, and I'm not doing as deep breathing through my diaphragm as I should be," he said.

According to Spire, Liz was more in control of her breathing than she realized, but she also thought the device gave her some false alarms. Spire is not considered a medical device, and it costs about $150.

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