Mapping body's response to stress for early diagnosis
UK researchers have created a new way to see how different body systems "talk" to each other when you're stressed—think exercise, low oxygen, or even lack of sleep.
Using wearable sensors and some clever data analysis, they can spot early warning signs in the way organs interact, which could help catch illnesses sooner.
Study and findings
Twenty-two healthy volunteers wore sensors that tracked things like heart rate, breathing, and blood oxygen during different stress tests.
The team found that during exercise, the heart gets most of the "messages" from other organs.
When oxygen is low, blood oxygen levels become the main hub. If you're tired and short on oxygen, your breathing suddenly matters a lot more.
Early detection can lead to better treatment
This approach picks up subtle changes in your body before standard vital signs show anything's wrong.
By mapping these patterns, doctors might be able to spot issues like sepsis or COVID-19 earlier—meaning better care and quicker action when it counts most.