An electronic device and a method for controlling the electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a motion sensor and optical sensors. Each of the optical sensors includes a light emitter and a light receiver. The optical sensors are separately driven to determine a respective signal characteristic of each of the optical sensors. A current state of an object to be measured is determined, based on at least one signal received through the motion sensor or the optical sensors. A light emitter of at least one of the optical sensors is driven, based on the respective signal characteristics of the optical sensors according to the current state of the object to be measured. Based on the respective signal characteristics of the optical sensors, a light signal sensed through a light receiver of at least one of the optical sensors is selected and received.