Fitbit

[Purpletara]

Has anyone bought a Fitbit to monitor their heart rate and, if they have, which one did they buy and what do they think about it.

[BobD Volunteer]

Unlikely to be accurate if you have AF . Don't waste your money. Get Kardia if you really must keep checking your heart.

[Purpletara in reply to BobD]

Hi Bob. Am very new to this. Diagnosed with AF 2 months ago and put on Bisoprolol. After having a 24 hour monitor there was concerns the Bisoprolol was taking my heart rate too low. Before the AF episode testing heart rate was 62. Doctors don't want it dropping below 40. The fitbit was an idea of mine to monitor it.

Have tried to learn how to take my own pulse and just can't seem to do it.

[Margah]

I bought a Fitbit Alta HR. I'm five weeks post AVR and 3x CABG. I check my heart rate on a walk and again after a short rest. The display is difficult to read on a sunny day but can be seen in a shady spot. It syncs to other devices. I'm glad I bought it. My pulse was high after surgery and it's reassuring to be able to keep a check on it. I've compared the readings with a BP monitor and when not the same they are only a beat or two different.

[Hennerton]

Do you worry about the effect on the heart of constantly wearing a device that is sending wireless waves through their body? Perhaps I sound a bit odd but it seems to me it cannot be good for health generally. I was given a Fitbit for Christmas last year and found after a week that I kept waking in the night with a racing heart, which made me think of the negative effects it might be having. I stopped wearing it immediately. Any thoughts? ( my family are a bit sorry about their useless present!)

[Purpletara in reply to Hennerton]

Hi Hennerton. I can see where you are coming from. Never thought of that aspect before. Be interesting to see if anyone else has any theories about this.

[Hennerton in reply to Purpletara]

Thanks for not laughing at me. My daughter sees a homeopath and she is definitely against sleeping with the Fitbit and is not very happy about all day use. Who knows what horrors we are all storing up for the future.

[Purpletara in reply to Hennerton]

Wouldn’t dream of laughing at you. Think you have made a very valid point.

I often wonder about these vape pens that are very popular- goodness knows what will come out about them in the future.

Best wishes Ruth

[Hennerton in reply to Purpletara]

We shall probably discover they are worse than nicotine but I doubt if I shall be here to hear about it!

[IanMK]

Hi Purpletara

I have a Charge2HR but agree with Bob to get a Kardia if anything. The Fitbit seems to have difficulty with any arrhythmias and is not rated by medics. On the other hand, the Kardia is recognised by NICE and your cardiologist will take account of the recordings. Just be careful not to get obsessed with checking it all the time (which is probably easier to fall foul of with a Fitbit).

[Kaz747]

I have a Fitbit Alta HR which I love to monitor my sleep, steps and exercise but I don’t rely on the HR monitor. It’s good for a general guide but not accurate with arrhythmias. I have checked it against my blood pressure monitor and Heartrate phone app (which if you want to check your pulse rate is very good) and sometimes it’s exactly the same but at other times it’s out by heaps. Last time I was on a hospital heart rate monitor and my HR was all over the place the Fitbit was totally different. It’s a shame as I sometimes have spikes during the day on the Fitbit, eg often when walking it has spikes at 140 - 180 (my resting HR is 58-60) and I don’t know if I have had a run of Afib/SVT or if it’s just the Fitbit being inaccurate.

[greencrop]

I've been wearing a Fitbit Alta for about a month to try to keep track of my heart rate and I find it useful, and I also find it's good to get some idea of how many hours I sleep. I hadn't given a thought to any possible interference with my pacemaker, and I doubt if it could have any different effect than a battery-operated watch. I wore a Polar heart rate monitor with chest strap for my weekly sessions with a personal trainer for 15 years but a chest strap wouldn't be comfortable to wear for more than an hour or so, so I prefer the Fitbit. My nephew gave me his Fitbit Alta when he purchased the newer Fitbit Versa, and I think the square shape of the Versa would fit my wrist better, so I intend to treat myself to that. My AFib is silent/subclinical and kicked in in February 2017 after open heart surgery in November 2015 to replace my aortic valve. I have never felt the AFib and only guessed that it was happening when I was at the gym and the treadmill said my heart rate was 156, but my next cardio appointment showed that the AFib episodes were short. My understanding is that the Kardia is useful only for someone who has AFib symptoms and uses the Kardia to check. Since I have no idea that AFib is happening, I'm just using the Fitbit to regularly look at my heart rate. I go to the gym regularly and there's only been the one time, over a year ago, that my heart rate was 156, and in the month I've had the Fitbit it has never shown a high heart rate. I agree that it's difficult to see the face of the Fitbit Alta when outside in the sun. I think the larger face of the Fitbit Versa will be easier to see. The Fitbit Alta lasts about six days without charging, but from the specifications on the Fitbit website, I see that the Versa will need charging after four days. I'm happy with the information I'm getting from the Fitbit. My nephew was able to sync the Fitbit to my cell phone. Purpletara, I hope this helps you decide whether or not the Fitbit could be a worthwhile purchase for you.

[Purpletara in reply to greencrop]

Hi greencrop.

Had already decided to purchase one, in fact have one coming from Amazon.

So pleased by your positive response. You seem to use your fitbit for everything I want it to do plus I am trying to get fitter so the step counter will be useful for me.

Thank you very much for replying.

Best wishes and hope you keep well.