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A sense of building tension. Visible is the frosty air emanating from my competitors as they perform the "about to run" jiggle on the starting line.

A quick twitch of the hips.

I'm at my local Saturday morning race and I mean business. It's almost time...

Oh, hang on. I have to start my watch. As does the person next to me.

The person behind us sighs. I refuse to go until… there! GPS ready, and I'm running.

Amidst the crowd, it's difficult to spot a arm without a smartwatch on it. And this extends beyond us athletes who wear them.

We're witnessing a explosive, massive industry. Brands like Garmin lead the market, featuring an wide array of different models to fit a spectrum of lifestyles. Based on how advanced the device you go for, prices can start from £100 to a significant investment.

"It drives me insane, I'm unable to switch off."

"It provides solace… It acts as a friend supporting me."

"Stop telling me I've had a poor sleep."

A handful of the reactions I've received from other tracker enthusiasts when I ask what they think of theirs.

The Monitoring Conundrum

My current opinion on mine? At this moment, frustrating. It's telling me my speed is wrong, causing me to question whether the overhead branches I'm passing under are blocking my GPS connection.

A vast number of us strap these small devices onto our arms and use them constantly, apparently at ease with the fact they're perpetually tracking us.

Long past are the days when we used them solely to give us an rough count of our step count. Now, they can measure our sleep patterns, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), our body battery.

It's a challenge to find a bodily function they aren't designed to measure.

But do they do what they advertise? And are the statistics we analyse a true reflection of the truth? Do they improve our daily wellness, or do the multitude of metrics and motivational messages just add to our sense of overwhelm?

Addiction or Aid?

"I find myself getting a bit fixated with mine," a wearer reveals.

While she appreciates how her device records her exercise, she finds some of its other features "excessive" at times - a feeling that became apparent during a major life event.

Prior to discovering she could adjust the settings, her smartwatch constantly alerted her she was failing to be productive enough. Later on, the watch frequently reports her she's had a restless night.

"I am caring for a infant, there's no point to be informed I'm tired," she says. "That fact is only too well."

Couldn't she just remove it?

"It's possible, I suppose, but I've got this complicated dynamic with it," she says. "I value it for its workout tracking, I just wonder whether all the other things it can now do is possibly too much for me."

How Do They Work?

Every device of smartwatch has its own unique way of monitoring your vitals and analysing your data, but the most use optical sensors on the reverse of the watch.

They usually shine minute LED lights onto your arm which can detect blood flow, detecting your pulse rate. Higher-end devices measure changes in the skin conductance that passes over the skin to gauge your stress levels.

A Fine Balance

One expert says that for most people for smartwatches, it's a "difficult line" - while the continuously improving tech could realistically save lives, "spotting abnormalities before we show symptoms", it could also turn us the tracked into the "anxious healthy".

He points out that newer wearables can conduct tests like heart rhythm analysis, which continuously monitor how healthy the heart is. They can flag if someone is experiencing atrial fibrillation (AF), where there is erratic signals in the heart causing an uneven pulse.

This does not mean someone is on the verge of a cardiac event, but it can give an early warning they might be more vulnerable of a heart problem in the future.

But how to understand these readings is complex. The expert concerns that as further capabilities are added, people may not be able to fully comprehend their data.

"I'm not entirely convinced that the ability to monitor so much data is such a positive development," he says.

A health researcher focusing on patient behaviour echoes this sentiment. Research into the effect of wearable tech on a set of individuals with health issues suggested a noticeable percentage of those who were given devices to monitor their heart health experienced increased anxiety and were "far more likely to use medical services".

She observed a vicious circle with her patients - they noticed a concerning reading on their watch. They felt anxious. Their heart rate increased. They got more worried. They re-examined the data, and their reading rose further.

"When people are presented with numbers about ourselves that we lack context for then, of course, we are going to seek clarification," the psychologist says. "We look, we re-check - it becomes a vicious cycle."