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There's a nervous excitement. Apparent is the chilled vapour exhaled by my competitors as they execute the "pre-race" wiggle on the starting line.

A rapid flick of the hips.

I'm participating in my local weekly parkrun event and I'm focused. The countdown begins...

Hold on. I must start my device. The same goes for the person alongside me.

The person in the line sighs. I'm not moving until… done! Signal acquired, and I'm running.

In the mele, it's hard to spot a wrist without a fitness tracker on it. And this isn't only us participants who rely on them.

This is a booming, massive industry. Brands like Garmin are prevalent, all offering an wide array of diverse versions to cater to a range of needs. Based on how advanced the watch you choose, prices can start from a hundred pounds to a significant investment.

"I find it infuriating, I'm unable to relax."

"It reassures me… It's like a companion supporting me."

"Stop telling me I've had a restless night."

Just some of the comments I've had from like-minded tracker enthusiasts when I ask what they their opinion is on theirs.

The Data Dilemma

My feelings on my own device? Currently, frustrating. It's telling me I'm off pace, making me wonder whether the overhead branches I'm running below are blocking my satellite signal.

Millions of us strap these compact devices onto our wrists and use them 24/7, apparently comfortable with the fact they're constantly tracking us.

Gone are the days when we used them only to give us an idea of our pedometer reading. Now, they can measure our sleep quality, heart rate, oxygen saturation, our recovery score.

It's tricky to find a physical metric they don't track.

But do they do what they advertise? And are the data points we obsess over a faithful picture of the truth? Do they boost our mental and physical wellbeing, or do the plethora of metrics and constant notifications just add to our daily stresses?

A Complicated Bond

"I do get a a little preoccupied with mine," one user confesses.

While she values how her device monitors her workouts, she finds some of its other features "excessive" at times - a feeling that became apparent during a significant period.

Until she found out she could put it into a specific mode, her smartwatch kept telling her she was not being productive enough. Later on, the watch frequently reports her she's had a bad night's sleep.

"I have a infant, I don't need to be told I've not slept," she says. "I know that all too clearly."

Why doesn't she just take it off?

"I suppose I could, theoretically, but I've got this love-hate relationship with it," she continues. "I value it for its fitness insights, I just wonder whether all the other things it can now do is maybe excessive for me."

Inside the Device

Different brands of smartwatch has its own proprietary way of tracking your vitals and processing your data, but the most use sensors on the reverse of the watch.

They typically shine small, green LED lights onto your wrist which can monitor pulsation, recording your BPM. Higher-end devices detect changes in the bioimpedance that runs through the skin to get an idea of your stress levels.

Expert Perspectives

A professor says that in general for smartwatches, it's a "fine balance" - while the ever-evolving tech could actually aid early diagnosis, "identifying issues before we show symptoms", it could also turn us device users into the "worried well".

He points out that the most advanced wearables can carry out tests like medical-grade monitoring, which regularly monitor how healthy the heart is. They can notify if someone is experiencing a heart arrhythmia, where there is abnormal impulses in the heart causing an arrhythmia.

This does not necessarily indicate someone is on the verge of a cardiac event, but it can give an preliminary indication they might be more susceptible of a blood clot in the long term.

But how to make sense of these numbers is complicated. The expert fears that as additional features are added, people may not be able to fully comprehend their data.

"I remain sceptical that being able to monitor so many metrics is such a good idea," he says.

A health researcher focusing on cardiology echoes this sentiment. Research into the influence of wearable tech on a specific group of individuals with health issues suggested a noticeable percentage of those who were given devices to monitor their cardiac function experienced greater stress and were "had a higher tendency to use doctor's time".

She noted a vicious circle with her patients - they spotted a worrying figure on their watch. They grew concerned. Their heart rate increased. They got even more concerned. They checked again, and their reading increased again.

"When people are presented with stats about ourselves that we can't properly interpret then, naturally, we are going to want to know more," the psychologist says. "We check, we re-check - it becomes a feedback loop."