Apple watch question

[Catahouie]

Doctor recommends an Apple watch series 6 to monitor my heart for an irregular beat. Would any of the earlier versions do the same? Series 6 is mighty expensive at this time.

[bantam12]

I looked at getting one but Apple state the irregular heartrate notification is not intended for people who are diagnosed with Afib, no idea why, maybe it gives inaccurate readings.

[Physalis]

If you already know you've got AFib you don't need the watch to tell you that an ECG is atrial fibrillation. However, if you are trying to catch examples then the watch is ideal because you can just press the button as soon as you notice something is happening. Also, it takes reading of your heart rate every five minutes or so, so you could scroll back and see if it jumped at any particular time, even at night.

It's only the Apple Watch series 4, 5 and 6 that have the ECG feature. I bought the series 4 one and found it invaluable for keeping track of my AFib.

Then they brought out the 5 and now the 6 which weren't a lot different so they withdrew the earlier ones. You can buy the series 4 one with the ECG for about £200+ on ebay.

I bought it for the fall detect feature but the watch does do a lot of other things too!

[CDreamer in reply to Physalis]

Apple have changed their pricing policy and you can get an updated 3 series for £200 direct from Apple - with a 12 month guarantee and full support. £5 cheaper on the A site. Apple are only offering 3 & 6 models now. Which certainly gave the 4 a very good score but it wasn’t around for very long.

My 4 year old 3 series had a fall function but not an automatic call emergency services one but if you pressed the crown, it would. Useless of course if you were unconscious.

[Physalis in reply to CDreamer]

The apple watch series 3 does not have the ECG function so no good for AFib at all.

The 4 was fine for ECG etc but was withdrawn when they brought in the 5 which seemed to not offer a lot more than an always on dimmed screen and a compass, no new health features. The 5 was very quickly replaced by the 6 which has oxygen level detection. I suppose they were cashing in on the coronavirus fears. Useful if you been infected but no use to AFib people.

If I was buying one now I would probably go for a second hand series 4, after all it would only be three years old.

[Buffafly]

If you are aware of your heart misbehaving for a while you could just get a Kardia for a lot less money but if you need a continuous monitor to catch short episodes then the watch would be great though I think you should be entitled to a medical monitor. Mine caught lots of short runs I wasn’t aware of.

[CDreamer]

The 3 series will give irregular HR notifications but you are unable to take an ECG but is MUCH cheaper.

The 5 series seems to be on the way out - replaced by the 6 - which I’ve just bought as I damaged my trusty 3 series beyond repair whilst gardening a few months ago. The reason I shelled out the money was because the 6 will give constant O2 monitoring - which for me is more useful. They are expensive but I justify the expense to myself as valuing my health and I can’t spend it on much else these days!

I am also known as enjoying my gadgets.....

[CDreamer]

PS - Of course all the Apple watches are useless unless you also have an iPhone to sync with although they are talking about a launching a stand alone version.

There are now other watches which perform the same function but at pretty much the same pricing.

There is a very good Which comparison on the various models.

[Physalis in reply to CDreamer]

Yes, there is the Samsung Galaxy watch 4. "It has ECG, an SpO2 app that measures oxygen saturation in the blood, a blood-pressure monitor, fall detection, advanced sleep tracking, period tracking and a detailed post-run analysis" whatever that is!

[Treschere in reply to Physalis]

I can't see a Galaxy watch 4 in my search engine?

[Physalis in reply to Treschere]

Sorry it's the Galaxy watch 3

samsung.com/uk/wearables/ga...

[Physalis in reply to CDreamer]

One good thing about the series 4 watch was that it could be used with an old iPhone 6. The 5 and 6 require later models.

[CDreamer in reply to Physalis]

It’s expensive trying to keep up! I have the 7 so not looking to update although I do like the cameras on the 11 & new 12. I have gotten into photography since Lockdown. Stay safe.

[Physalis in reply to CDreamer]

I was into photography before the lockdown, belonged to a U3A group but no meetings this year. Will I go back, I don't know?

Incidentally, the Samsung Galaxy watch can use Android phones.

[Ppiman]

From Apple Watch version 4 up, you have the same or near identical hardware to monitor arrhythmias. They need an iPhone to give of their best.

Steve

[CmsUK]

Hi,

My wife bought me the Series 5, as most have said, when ur in AF you know, but the watched helped so much when my AF was off/on.

It’s warned me a few times of an irregular rhythm and you can obviously set the min/max thresholds as well.

The ecg reports from Apple are pretty good, but I also subscribe to Cardiogram, which is an app that produces graphical reports and shows the data quite well and allows tagging of info.

It’s a worthwhile purchase to have a history of what your going through.

Can also confirm it’s quite precise, as I was experiencing Bigeminy beats whilst in the ED and hooked up to the ecg...monitor and the output was the same..

Good luck

Craig

[Yachtgirl]

My cardiologist recommended either the iWatch or a kardia. I had an expensive gold watch so was reluctant to change. After consideration I bought the Apple 5 And am so pleased I did. It is easy to use and I have sent several ECG's to my cardiologist. He says it is a beautiful reading and accurate.

[fairgo45]

I have a fitbit versa 2 it has everthing the apple watch has except the ecg I have the kardia for that,it has the sleep apnea addition that apple doesnt

For all this its half the price of apple but looks exactly the same

[Physalis in reply to fairgo45]

I've got the Pillow app for my iWatch. It's interesting and I don't know how it can tell when I go to bed and when I get up but it does!

It shows periods of light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep and being awake. You can overlay your heart rate on top of it which could be useful. There is audio too which can be overlaid but I'm not too sure how this works.

The Pillow app might pick up sleep apnoea by showing periods of being awake for a short time which you are not aware of. Sanjay Gupta talks about this in one of his videos, people are very tired during the day because they are constantly being woken up during the night but for a very short periods.

[Treschere]

I have the Galaxy Fit which is good, I have tested the heart monitor against physical heart rate and it is well on the same. No ecg but I use an Emay if I need too. The best thing is my watch alerts me when my pulse goes over 100 and my stress rate goes up.

[LONDS7]

Hi Apple. I use to use an Apple 5 watch and it was quite accurate but the Kardia is definitely better in my opinion. So tiny I keep it in my pocket and under £100 now. Gives you brilliant readings.

Let us know what you decide. I hope you are keeping well.