Wearable Medical Devices (WMDs) for Stress Detection and Mitigation

Abstract

Chronic stress can be detrimental to the physical and psychological well-being of individuals. Excessive exposure to stress can lead to obesity, heart disease, depression, and various other illnesses. These problems can significantly alter the life of an individual. A potential way to avoid these issues is by effectively mitigating stress when it arises [1]. This work proposes the Stress Detection and Mitigation System (SDMS). SDMS determines whether or not an individual is stressed, in real-time, and takes action to mitigate that stress. This system is implemented by using various commercial Wearable Medical Devices (WMDs) to retrieve medical data from an individual, specifically blood volume pulse (BVP), electrodermal activity (EDA), blood pressure, and blood oximeter readings. The data is then analyzed and the system determines whether or not the individual is stressed. If so, a mitigation technique is used to alleviate stress. The system is able to detect stress with 97.5% accuracy across multiple individuals.