1. Hormone Trackers
Research in Women’s Midlife Health shows that midlife women experience more challenging concerns related to health, work, family, finances, and personal goals. Dealing with changes in your hormones can be tricky while you’re also coping with multiple external stressors.
Hormone trackers help you understand and deal with dramatic changes in your body and mood because of fluctuating hormones. Bloating, fatigue, palpitations, fertility decline, and hot flashes are just some symptoms of unpredictable hormone levels.
Designed by in-house OB-GYNs and scientists, Mira—an “at-home hormone lab”—picks up on the tiniest hormonal changes and helps you discover your hormone pattern, so you can better deal with hormonal imbalances and irregular cycles. Using various sensors, the small device gleans information about your hormone cycle and sends it to the Mira App. There, you can view easy-to-understand, personalized, and comprehensive data to help you time your fertility treatments accurately.
To track your overall health and wellness, try Moody Month. The app gives you a daily forecast of the changes in your body and sends personalized food, fitness, and mindfulness tips using your hormone data. Moody Month also teams up with women’s health specialists to help you make informed choices that positively impact your well-being.
2. Smart Home Assistants
Smart home technology saves you time and effort when dealing with many tasks, giving you the freedom to pursue your most important goals and relationships. Smart home assistants can also help you set wellness reminders, communicate with loved ones, follow exercise programs, and learn how to cook nutritional meals.
3. Apps to Counter Anxiety and Depression
Research in Brain Sciences shows that midlife women are at higher risk of depression because of hormonal changes, genetic variables, and other factors, like unemployment. To effectively alleviate depression, professionals like Dr. Stuart Eisendrath advocate for mindfulness exercises that can help you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions. If you want to create healthy thinking habits, practice mindfulness with meditation content on Spotify or download the WorryTree app.
Being part of a safe community can also help you deal with depressive symptoms. It’s probably a good idea to stay away from social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat, which a study in JAMA Network Open links to depression in adults over 35. But you can try social interaction apps like Afterglow, which offers safe spaces to connect with like-minded people.
4. Sleep Trackers
The Sleep Foundation reports that women are as much as 40 percent more likely than men to experience insomnia. As women reach menopause, bodily changes can cause night sweats that disrupt sleep. One of the best non-wearables is the Withings Sleep Analyzer, a sleep tracking mat that you can put under your mattress to measure sleep cycles and help detect sleep apnea. Just remember to get a doctor’s diagnosis if you suspect that you have a sleeping disorder.
5. Bluetooth Trackers
Forgetfulness can be part of the middle-age journey as changes occur in your brain. If losing your keys, wallet, or purse has become a daily affair, then attach a Bluetooth tracker like Apple’s AirTag to the stuff you usually lose. You can then easily find them using Find My app. Or you can also try building your own AirTag, if you have the time and geekiness for it!
6. Heart Monitoring
Cardiovascular health generally declines as you age. And according to Johns Hopkins University Medicine, women in early menopause (45 and younger) are at a higher risk of experiencing heart problems. To track your heart health, check out Mawi, a lightweight, waterproof sensor that you wear on your chest to monitor vital health metrics. If you prefer a smartwatch for your wrist that monitors heart rates and irregular heart rhythms, try the Fitbit Sense 2 or the Apple Watch Series 8.
7. Streaming Services
Midlife is a sensitive period of transition. As you’re confronted with questions of mortality, you may start questioning your past choices or have a heightened desire to create meaning in your life. If you feel like you need a pick-me-up after too much contemplation or worries about the future, unwind with empowering films on your favorite streaming services.
8. Online Educational Courses
Investing in online courses can help you clarify your goals and identity during a midlife crisis. Learning platform Elvtr offers live online courses led by industry leaders on a wide variety of topics, including Women in Leadership.
Or you can sign up for Coursera and check out the Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most course. This online training from the University of Michigan shows how science, philosophy, and practice help you live a purposeful life. You’ll also get to go through practical exercises that help you to see the bigger picture and focus on things that matter.
You Can Thrive in Midlife With the Help of Technology
While technology cannot replace doctors or close relationships, it can give you valuable support when you experience some of the most common midlife challenges. Navigating through these life changes is possible with accessible gadgets and apps. When things get overwhelming in middle age, the help that you need may just be a few clicks away!
