WATCH: Fitbit shows what 2020 would sound like if it was translated into a score of music

Brought to you by Fitbit

Stress has been a major factor in all of our lives in 2020.

From the first reported cases of Covid-19 in March, to the fact that we're only coming out of another lockdown in December, this year has been especially tough on us. In a poll recently commissioned by Fitbit, 87% or Irish respondents admitted to feeling stress in 2020 due to problems with their physical health, job concerns, or the news surrounding Covid-19. Almost half of those polled, at 42%, admitted that this had been the most stressful year of their lives. Interestingly, more than half of us at 57% turned to music to find moments of calm, and with that in mind Fitbit have created a beautiful piece of music, known as the Fitbit Stress Symphony. Recorded in London's iconic Barbican Theatre by composer and conductor Ben Palmer, with producer and sound engineer Aston Rudi as well as the 20-piece Covent Garden Sinfonia, this piece of music takes you through a very difficult Irish year. There are, however, many moments of hope and joy to be found too. So, how was the symphony composed? Fitbit used data to create the score of music using de-identified and aggregated data from users located in the UK and Ireland from 1 January to 6 September 2020 assessing the average active minutes, sleep duration and resting heart rate, search trends insights, social media sentiment, and key news moments. “2020 has been a year like no other for all of us," says Joanne Savage, EMEA Marketing Director. "It has been fascinating to analyse the collective information and map the peaks and troughs against key moments we all experienced this year to see how they have impacted our health. "Staying healthy and managing stress has been a challenge during this year, making it more important than ever to focus on all aspects of our day-to-day health. “With Fitbit Sense, we’re helping users better understand how stress impacts their body while also helping them learn how to manage their responses to stress thanks to metrics such as the new Stress Management Score. We will continue to support our community by providing useful tools and metrics to help empower them, in staying physically active and mentally well.” Using Fitbit Premium, you can get a deeper analysis of your Stress Management Score on Sense, recommendations to help manage stress, and access to even more mindfulness content to help you better manage the tougher days. You can even set a weekly mindfulness goal within the Fitbit app. For new Fitbit Premium users, take advantage of the 90-day free trial to help you stay active, sleep well and manage stress. Fitbit showcases a look at Ireland’s stress levels throughout this extraordinary year with the launch of an emotive score of music, the Fitbit Stress Symphony. Check out the Fitbit blog or more information. Brought to you by Fitbit