It's past 6pm on a Wednesday and you're taking an MRT train home.

Peak-hour human traffic is in full force, and you've no choice but to squeeze in with the crowd, packed like sardines in a metal container.

As you whip out your phone to death scroll on TikTok, you put on your headphones to drown out the roaring rattle of the train, distracting yourself from the pushing and pulling of human mass around you.

It's just another day of your homebound journey, and you are content in your own space - or are you?

In reality, you're probably not truly content with how things have been going today, and the throng of commuters is doing you no favours.

You may not realise this, but your body does - and so does the Samsung Galaxy Ring, which we recently had the opportunity to try after its Jan 23 launch in Singapore.

That was the first thing that struck me when I checked out the features of the Ring, which told me that my stress levels were moderately high throughout my entire trip home.

This was despite my own assumption that I was in a neutral state - neither upset nor happy, and presumably not stressed.

But the Ring, which I wore on my index finger, said otherwise as my stress levels - calculated via heart rate variability and daily activity - hit an all-time high for the day while I was on board the train, even higher than when I was working.

As someone who leads a sedentary lifestyle with little physical exertion, this was alarming.

It prompted me to look further into how my stress was like throughout my day - and the results were quite shocking.

Just when do I feel relaxed?

A day starts with preparation for work in the morning, which is a low-stress situation for me.

The first element of stress is introduced as I slightly exert myself walking to the MRT station some five minutes walk away from my home, boarding the train to work.

It takes about two stops before the train really gets packed - and the readings of the Galaxy Ring also reflect that, with heightened stress levels by the time I'm halfway through my journey.

Reaching my office, I start my work as stress levels fluctuate between low and high, depending on the assignment.

Lunchtime is a brief moment of respite before I go right back into work with similar fluctuations in stress.

As the clock strikes 6pm, my colleagues head home - as do I, joining the crowd of employees ending their day on the train home.

At home, however, stress doesn't stop.

Being an avid gamer, my post-dinnertime entertainment is simple - I boot up games and play them.

But the choice of game matters, and for most the part I tend to play competitive player-versus-player games, getting my stress levels up.

After logging off, I wind down with some YouTube videos or Twitch livestreams, during which the Ring says I'm relaxed.

When it's time to hit the hay, sleep doesn't come easy for me - my stress levels peak as anxiety grips me just before I drift off to sleep.

Dealing with stress

Knowing that you're stressed is one thing, but seeing it quantified through the Samsung Health app is an entirely different matter.

I realised that I only had a couple of hours of rest a day - aside from sleep - and that the rest of my days are filled with stress.

While weekends might usually be more restful, the Chinese New Year period when I tested the ring meant that the stress average was similar to the weekdays I had.

According to HealthHub, while stress is normal and may even be a form of motivation to finish tasks, long-term stress can be harmful.

Extended periods of stress can lead to physical symptoms such as fatigue, constant headaches and stomach pains, or cognitive problems like forgetfulness and poor concentration.

I also experience sleep problems and anxiety possibly as a result of stress, which no doubt also compounds upon my existing sources of stress.

Although I was a little sceptical of the app's ability to curb my stress levels, I decided to give it a shot over the course of the week.

The app offers multiple suggestions for managing stress, of which I tried the breathing exercises it recommended.

I found moderate success with these over the course of the week - when I actively engaged in these breathing exercises, I found that my stress levels were lower, and that I was more focused on my work.

Come night-time, sleep came more easily than before after I practiced the breathing exercises, and stress levels weren't quite as high prior to entering sleep.

The wake up call

At present, the Galaxy Ring is retailing at $538 on the Samsung webstore.

Admittedly, it's a steep price to pay for what may appear to be a simple, lightweight ring - but it's far more than that.

While I was using the Ring through the week, I realised that I never did track its battery life - as it turns out, it lasted the entire week before I needed to charge it.

The Ring is also capable of recognising simple gestures, allowing users to take photographs or switch off alarms with pinching motion of the index finger and thumb.

Above all else, however, the Ring was able to improve my health while I was using it - the value which I certainly feel would make it worthwhile.

khooyihang@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.