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Line 1: − + − + − + − − ==== Improve [[Fitness]], [[Mood]], [[Productivity]], and [[Cognition|Cognitive]] abilities ==== − For example: What is the optimum amount of coffee to improve productivity but not affect sleep? This is very similar to trying to improve a chronic health condition, except that it can be useful to anybody and does not deal with critical issues. − − People have gone through life always being mediocre because they did not try to improve themselves systematically. What if you are that kind of person? This method has precedents outside of personal science. Many professionals, especially coaches of [[Sports|athletes]], measure and try to improve every little thing to boost overall performance. − + Line 22:
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Reasons for and against self tracking and quantification (edit)
Revision as of 03:33, 26 August 2022
, 03:33, 26 August 2022→Protect your self
This page is mainly intended to encourage more tracking. It is a abridgement of a more through argument map<ref>https://www.kialo.com/everyone-should-health-track---self-quantify-49787</ref>. If you are not convinced by argument, please read [[Self Tracking, Types Movements Communities|Self Tracking Movements]] for a show of popularity of the practice or [[List of Interesting Self-Tracking Results|Interesting Results]] for examples of successes.
This page is mainly intended to encourage more tracking. It is based off an argument map.<ref>https://www.kialo.com/everyone-should-health-track---self-quantify-49787</ref> If you are not convinced by argument, please read [[Self Tracking, Types Movements Communities|Self Tracking Movements]] for a show of popularity of the practice or [[List of Interesting Self-Tracking Results|Interesting Results]] for examples of successes.
=== Reasons For ===
=== Reasons For ===
==== Manage health conditions ====
==== Manage health conditions ====
Doctors get much more precise, objective, and detailed description from data than patients provide verbally. This has been good enough to prove something to doubters, even to the medical community. Patients get a clearer picture of their health which they can use to make better decisions.<ref>https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1124772.1124910</ref> Patients can gauge their doctor's performance better. Self tracking could reduce medical costs.<ref>https://flowingdata.com/2022/06/24/when-americans-had-intercourse-with-opposite-sex-for-the-first-time/</ref>
Doctors get much more precise, objective, and detailed description from data than patients provide verbally. This includes long term tracking as a baseline. Data like this has been good enough to prove something even to the medical community. Patients get a clearer picture of their health which they can use to make better decisions.<ref>https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1124772.1124910</ref> Patients can gauge their doctor's performance better. Self tracking could reduce medical costs.<ref>https://flowingdata.com/2022/06/24/when-americans-had-intercourse-with-opposite-sex-for-the-first-time/</ref>
Chronic or sub-clinical health conditions, and effects of lifestyle choices, like veganism,<ref>https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_nutrition</ref> may be monitored using personal health tracking. Remedies such as weight loss diets and melatonin can be tested for effectiveness with health tracking. Even if no remedies are found, tracking provides piece of mind by showing the patient that this condition is like previous ones that have resolved.
Chronic or sub-clinical health conditions, and effects of lifestyle choices, like veganism,<ref>https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_nutrition</ref> may be monitored using personal health tracking. Remedies such as weight loss diets and melatonin can be tested for effectiveness with health tracking. Even if no remedies are found, tracking provides piece of mind by showing the patient that this condition is like previous ones that have resolved or that it is benign.
Unfortunately, sub-clinical issues are often esoteric and so require elusive or underdeveloped tools. At the same time, serious chronic conditions are more likely to be tracked with expensive, restricted to the public, or closed data devices.
Unfortunately, sub-clinical issues are often esoteric and so require elusive or underdeveloped tools. At the same time, serious chronic conditions are more likely to be tracked with expensive, restricted to the public, or closed data devices.
==== Protect your self ====
==== Protect your self ====
Even if you have no health problems and do not intend to improve anything, you should continuously monitor the vitals (same as in 'improve' above) that your doctors do not. Sickness can be subtle. It can harm you in a way that you do not notice but that could affect you a lot. For example slight dietary changes could increase resting heart rate and more noise could drastically reduce productivity.
Even if you have no health problems and do not intend to improve anything, you should continuously monitor the vitals (same as in 'improve' above) that your doctors do not. Sickness can be subtle.<ref>https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/high-blood-pressure-understanding-silent-killer</ref> It can harm you in a way that you do not notice but that could affect you a lot. For example slight dietary changes could increase resting heart rate and more noise could drastically reduce productivity.
Unhealthy products are ubiquitous. Many foods are designed to be bought, often without concern for the health of the customer. Technological innovation grows so fast that culture and regulators can not keep up. This turns in to a [[Digital addiction]] epidemic because of games like flappy bird, and apps like Facebook and Youtube.
Unhealthy products are ubiquitous. Many foods are designed to be bought, often without concern for the health of the customer. Technological innovation grows so fast that culture and regulators can not keep up. This turns in to a [[Digital addiction]] epidemic because of games like flappy bird, and apps like Facebook and Youtube.
Travel can be unhealthy in unexpected ways. Quality of sanitation and health care varies between countries. Health advisories about foreign countries are abundant. Digital nomads should maintain a diary of symptoms to notice uncommon diseases in addition to vitals.
Travel can be unhealthy in unexpected ways. Quality of sanitation and health care varies between countries. Health advisories about foreign countries are abundant. Digital nomads should maintain a diary of symptoms to notice uncommon diseases in addition to vitals.
Long term vitals monitoring provides safety baselines for self experimentation with exciting interventions like nootropics. Just imagine someone trying out long term [[Fasting]] and not noticing a strong increase in resting heart rate. In addition, if you ever change your mind about experimenting to improve vitals you will have lots of data to compare against data gained during interventions.
Long term vitals monitoring provides safety baselines for self experimentation with exciting interventions like nootropics. Just imagine someone trying out long term [[Fasting]] and not noticing a strong increase in resting heart rate. In addition, if someone who does not experiment ever decide to experiment, they will have lots of baseline data to compare against data gained during interventions.
Tools to save your life can also record data. For examples; Apple watch monitors for arrhythmia, medicine trackers for the goal of safety can also help monitor health conditions, and hiking is made much safer with GPS.
Tools to save your life can also record data. For examples; Apple watch monitors for arrhythmia, medicine trackers for the goal of safety can also help monitor health conditions, and hiking is made much safer with GPS.
==== Improve [[Fitness]], [[Mood]], [[Productivity]], and [[Cognition|Cognitive]] abilities ====
For example: What is the optimum amount of coffee to improve productivity but not affect sleep? This is very similar to trying to improve a chronic health condition, except that it can be useful to anybody and does not deal with critical issues.
People have gone through life always being mediocre because they did not try to improve themselves systematically. What if you are that kind of person? This method has precedents outside of personal science. Many professionals, especially coaches of [[Sports|athletes]], measure and try to improve every little thing to boost overall performance.
==== Motivate and change your behavior ====
==== Motivate and change your behavior ====