With the extra busy schedules people have these days, fitness tracking apps have helped many people time and track their exercise time, calories burnt and the time taken to do so. These apps also remind us to drink water, not exceed our calorie limits for the day, as well as keep exercising. However, sometimes these devices can have an adverse impact on our health. Instead of making us feel better, they can make us feel anxious or stressed. This generally happens when we become too focused on the numbers and start to worry if they aren't perfect. It's important to understand that while these trackers can be helpful, they shouldn't control our mood or make us feel bad about ourselves.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association also found that people with heart problems who used trackers were more worried about their symptoms. With so many people using these devices, it's becoming a common problem. 20% of wearable users felt anxious and always contacted their doctors when they received an irregular rhythm notification. They also found that these devices meant increased monitoring and worrying, higher usage of AFib (atrial fibrillation) specific health care etc. These findings suggest that while wearables can help patients monitor their AFib, they may also lead to increased anxiety and health care use. More research is needed to fully understand the effects of these devices on patients, doctors, and the health care system.

Signs These Apps May Be Getting Too Much For You

We can become too focused on achieving certain goals, like a certain number of steps or a perfect sleep score. This can lead to stress and anxiety when we don't meet those goals, instead of simply using the information to support a healthy lifestyle.

Your Metrics Influence Your Mood

If your happiness or sadness depends on the numbers your fitness tracker shows, it's a sign you might need a break. Getting a low score can make you feel like you've failed, even if you've been making healthy choices. It's normal to feel a little disappointed when you don't reach a goal, but your overall mood shouldn't be affected. If you notice that your mood changes a lot based on your tracker's data, it might be time to step away from it for a while.

You Constantly Try To Interpret Your Numbers

If you find yourself constantly searching online to understand what your tracker's data means, it's a warning sign. Trying to interpret every number can lead to more worry and confusion. You might start to believe you have health problems that don't exist. It's important to remember that these trackers are tools, not medical professionals. Spending too much time trying to decode the data can increase your anxiety instead of helping you.

You Feel Anxious When You Can’t See Your Data

If you feel nervous or anxious when you forget your tracker or it's not working, you might be too dependent on it. You should be able to feel comfortable and relaxed without constant data. If you feel panicky when you can't see your numbers, it's a sign you need to learn to be okay without them. You should be able to trust your body's signals instead of relying only on the tracker.

You’re Ignoring How Your Body Feels

If you rely only on your tracker and ignore what your body is telling you, it's a problem. Your body's signals are important. For example, you might feel well-rested, but if your tracker says your sleep quality is low, you might start to doubt yourself. It's important to listen to your body and not just the numbers. Your body knows when it's tired, hungry, or needs rest. The tracker is a tool to support your health, not replace your body’s signals.

Covid is returning, as the National Health Service, NHS UK warned that there has been a "bounce back" in respiratory viruses this winter, along with COVID too on the rise. While UK was already struggling with flu and norovirus on the rise, cases of COVID have also risen. The latest data from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) show that the number of patients in hospital beds with COVID per day has risen from 0.87 per 100,000, as compared with 0.77 per 100,000 the previous week.

NHS national medical director Professor Meghana Pandit said: “It’s clear that the worst is far from over for the NHS this winter, with hospitals again experiencing a rise in patients admitted with flu and other respiratory virus cases last week.”

What New COVID Variants Are We Dealing With In 2026?

Since the pandemic, there have been many variants of COVID. The virus has continued to evolve. Two new variants that caused the spike in cases in autumn were XFG, known as Stratus, and NB.1.1, known as Nimbus.

Stratus: It is a subvariant of Omicron variant and made of previous variants LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. It was first detected in a sample on January 27, 2025. Whereas, Nimbus was first detected on January 22, 2025. It also originated from the same omicron variant, which was the reason for spike in 2023.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes stratus as a "variant under monitoring" after several countries in South East Asia reported a rise in new cases and hospitalizations with this variant being detected.

COVID Symptoms 2026: Fatigue Emerges As The Most Common Symptom

Among studies that focused on how symptoms appear together, fatigue stood out as the most consistently reported issue. It often occurred alone or alongside problems such as muscle and joint pain, brain fog, or breathlessness. Other symptom pairings that appeared frequently included loss of smell and taste, anxiety with depression, and various forms of musculoskeletal pain.

When researchers classified patients based on affected organ systems, respiratory problems were the most widespread, seen in about 47% of long COVID patients. Neurological symptoms followed at 31%, while gastrointestinal issues were reported by 28%. The authors stressed that these percentages reflect how often these clusters appeared within long COVID cases studied, not how common they are in the general population.

A smaller number of studies sorted patients by how severe their symptoms were, dividing them into mild, moderate, or severe categories using symptom scores, symptom counts, or quality-of-life measures. Three studies used clinical indicators for classification, including abnormal triglyceride levels and signs of restricted lung function on imaging.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are the common COVID symptoms:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• New loss of taste or smell
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

How To Know If You Have COVID?

CDC says, look out for these signs:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Lips and nail beds may appear pale, grey or blue

While the National Capital is dealing with cold wave, the air quality also continues to worsen. In several parts of Delhi, the air quality reached severe category. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also issued an Orange alert on Tuesday for cold wave. Dense fog also engulfed the city, with air pollution or the particulate matter being trapped in the air, turning the fog into smog.

The condition of air pollution in Delhi has remained concerning and the levels have spiked to 20 to 30 times above the safety levels recommended by the World Health Organization or the WHO. Many studies, including the official website of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US notes that the small particulate matter found in the air pollution is directly linked to health problems. "Small particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into your lungs, and some may even get into your bloodstream," notes EPA.

The particulate matter could lead to:

• premature death in people with heart or lung disease
• nonfatal heart attacks
• aggravated asthma
• irregular heartbeat
• decreased lung function
• increases respiratory symptoms like irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing

What Are Smog-Eating Surfaces And How Do They Help?

The government is pursuing "smog eating" surfaces to deal with the pollution problem in Delhi. While it may sound like a strange thing in India, not to the world. In fact, in the Netherlands these were used to reduce local nitrogen oxide or the NO concentrations in the air, rather than greenhouse gas concentrations.

Smog usually contains a mixture of hydrocarbons, ozone, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, and particulates. The pollution is caused by both photochemical reactions that involve sunlight, unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, along with high concentrations of particulate matter, especially from vehicle exhaust, construction dust and biomass burning.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced "smog eating" surface as part of its pollution control plan, for which the government has also signed an MoU with IIT Madras.

The smog eating surfaces will be public surfaces coated with photocatalytic materials like titanium dioxide or TiO2 that is used to degrade pollutants.

The Deccan Herald quoted Dr Pradeep Singh, professor and head at the School of Advanced Chemical Sciences, Shoolini University, who explained: Photocatalytic materials are basically semiconductors. Substances like TiO2₂or zinc oxide are typically used as photocatalysts. When light falls on these semiconductor catalysts, electrons within them jump from one energy level to another, creating a hole. These photocatalytic holes and electrons subsequently form free radicals, which have strong oxidizing properties and can break down certain air pollutants with which they interact."

How Do Smog Eating Surfaces Work?

Smog contains mainly nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter. When all of these interact with photocatalytic materials, gaseous pollutants convert into less harmful compounds, such as nitrogen oxides become nitrates or decompose into ions. This process is also known as pollutant mineralization.

Fun Fact: It was in 2017, when scientists in Italy developed a type of photocatalytic cement that could absorb pollutants and convert it into harmless salts. Palazzo Italia in Milan, opened in 2015, was the first building to use the cement.

How Effective Are These Smog Eating Surfaces?

As per Dr Ashish Moon, Head of the Civil Department at Smt Radhikatai Pandav College of Engineering, Nagpur, the impact depends on environmental conditions. He explained that titanium dioxide can locally reduce certain gaseous pollutants like nitrogen oxides under ideal conditions, rather than absorbing up to 50 percent of all harmful gases.

He also co-authored a paper in 2021, titled: Detailed Case Study on Smog Eating Tile, where he noted, "It is better to use it in liquid form than a powder. I have not come across any harmful interactions between TiO2 and particles or gases in the air." However, he also points out that how it will work in Delhi will depend on its weather conditions and atmosphere. "There should be enough UV light for the nanoparticles to activate," he said.

Will this arrangement really work? That is yet to see, although a 2023 Spanish study found that although this measure showed some improvement, but it only yielded a modest reduction in ambient NO2. We are yet to see how well it will work in Delhi and its neighboring city's pollution problem.

As temperatures fall, a growing number of people are seeking medical advice for sudden, painful rashes and nerve-related discomfort. Superdrug Online Doctor has reported a 50% rise in patients requesting consultations for shingles over recent weeks. Shingles develops when the chickenpox virus, which stays dormant in the body after childhood infection, becomes active again later in life.

What Is Shingles?

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral illness that causes a painful, blistering rash, usually appearing on one side of the body. It occurs when the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, becomes active again after lying dormant in the nerves for many years. This reactivation is more likely when the immune system is weakened.

Symptoms often begin with burning, tingling, or itching in a specific area, followed by clusters of fluid-filled blisters that eventually dry out and form scabs. Starting antiviral treatment early can help reduce the severity and length of the infection. A shingles vaccine is also available and is recommended, particularly for people over the age of 50, to lower the risk of developing shingles and to prevent complications such as long-lasting nerve pain, known as postherpetic neuralgia.

Who Is Most At Risk Of Shingles?

The condition is more likely to affect older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Dr Babak Ashrafi, Superdrug’s Online Doctor, explained that many patients are caught off guard by how quickly symptoms appear. “Shingles often begins unexpectedly,” he said. “People may wake up with a burning or tingling sensation, followed by a rash that rapidly becomes more painful. We typically see higher numbers during colder months, when immune defences are under greater pressure.”

Winter-related factors such as stress, poor sleep, and seasonal infections can all take a toll on the immune system. When immunity dips, the virus responsible for shingles has a greater chance of reactivating, increasing the likelihood of flare-ups during colder periods.

Shingles Early Warning Signs To Watch For

According to the NHS, early symptoms of shingles often include a tingling, itching, or painful sensation on one side of the body. Some people may also experience headaches or feel generally unwell before a rash appears. The rash usually develops a few days later and is most commonly seen on the chest or abdomen, although it can occur anywhere on the body.

Superdrug Online Doctor has outlined five situations where people should seek prompt medical advice rather than rely on self-care. These include cases where:

• the rash appears on or near the eye
• pain is severe or spreading
• the person has a weakened immune system
• the individual is pregnant
• symptoms are worsening quickly

Shingles Treatment

Superdrug Online Doctor provides an online assessment and photo-diagnosis service, allowing clinicians to review symptoms remotely. Where appropriate, patients can be prescribed antiviral medication without needing to wait for a GP appointment.

Dr Ashrafi stressed the importance of acting quickly, adding: “The most important advice is not to wait and see. Starting treatment early can make a significant difference to recovery and long-term outcomes.”