Excercise Watch

[dindy]

I know you are all aware of how we can check our heart rate with an exercise watch and do so to make sure we are keeping our heart rate down if exercising or doing something that increases our heart rate.

I know some, not so much on this forum but more on exercise forums especially running almost worship the technology on their wrist which to be honest is a good bit of kit. It tells you if your fitness level has got better, V02 Max. This measures your oxygen consumption during exercise, as your V02 increases so does your fitness level so you train harder which can be dangerous.

Remember these watches are sold worldwide to millions of people and everyone has is different as regards to health. They work on algorithms not persons health which brings me to my point of post.

I also wear an exercise watch (Polar) when exercising and do regularly check my heart rate every minute as I need to try to keep bpm lower. I found out these last few month how dangerously inaccurate they are for those with AF, I think I did mention it in recent post.

For starters my polar watch bpm was way different from my polar H10 chest strap even when worn at the same time. Watch showed something like 25 beats lower then strap. I mentioned this to polar support who said watch works on pulse where strap is direct heart beat so will give totally different results.

Evidence for this was I had to wear a portable ecg from hospital for 24 hours. I wore it while exercising and my heart rate near end of exercise went up to 150.If I was healthy then 148 is my max but being in af which I am all the time this was to me at least dangerous. I mentioned this in my report to hospital and they came back later saying whrn my watch said 150 max my ecg came out at 210!!!!

This goes to show how inaccurate and possible dangerous relying on watch to monitor your bpm. I still use my watch all the time but now mindful how as my bpm rises on watch I got to remember my bpm is actually higher.

There is no doubt wearing a quality chest strap is far more accurate to monitor your bpm, in my opinion anyway.

[BobD Volunteer]

Thank you for that Dindy. I think most people here know my views on such devices.

[saulger]

Hello Dindy. I use a chest heart rate monitor, and being 75 years old, I don't go above 145BPM. My AFib is intermittent and when I go into AFib, because of the exercise, the HR suddenly shoots up and I stop immediately. I can feel a whoosh in my chest.

I'm still searching for a reliable exercise watch...

[KMRobbo]

Yes I have an old chest strap Garmin 395 which indicated the high HR which led to me being diagnosed AFIB in the first place. It has been verified in comparison to paramedic/ hospital ecg. 3 times. My wifes fit bit read half the rate my garmin showed, my omron BP monitor also massively different (lower) when in AFib, and also the finger monitor they used for HR in A&E was proved very inaccurate by the subsequent ECG after i showed them the Garmin live.

[beach_bum]

Of course, all watches are not created equal. I tested my Apple watch against my BowFlex Spinbike strap and my BP/HR cuff. Very accurate...all were within + - 10% of each other. I also tested it against my Doctors machine...within 5% margin...and he also wears one for running, so I trust mine.

I also had a couple of FitBits which I also tested against the aforementioned devices, and also was within medically acceptable parameters.

I cannot speak to any others that I have not owned or tested.

[lawrencesmith667]

Two years ago, after years of increasing fatigue, I was diagnosed with Erdheim Chester Disease, and prescribed vemurafenib, an oral chemotherapy drug known to cause atrial fibrillation. I went for regular ECGs, which showed atrial fib even before I felt it. I was placed on Bisoprolol, which quickly lowered my heart rate. It was unpleasant, having my heart rate suppressed, and, searching online for advice, I discovered that Bosoprolol is contraindicated when taking Vemurafenib – it can cause cancers! I stopped taking it, but my atrial fib did not seem to return, although I’m now sure I was having some missed beats, even though my resting heart rate was around 60bpm.

More than a year later, atrial fib returned. I don’t know if something I was taking had caused it (the occasional ibuprofen?), but it was wild. I had a chest strap monitor that I had used when I was training, many years past. Some 40 years back (I’m now 70 years old) I had gotten into road racing, and was wearing myself out running too often, too far, too fast. The HR monitor was a life-saver, telling me when to slow down, stop, or take a couple of days off. I still run, swim, and roller ski at bit, but I can’t do much with my fatigue – only a couple of slow miles a couple of times a week.

So, I strapped on my Polar monitor and went out for a run. Heart rate went to 165bpm minute immediately, then climbed to 180bpm within minutes. None-the-less, I was still breathing through my mouth, as I usually could do on a very easy run. Crazy. It was hard to tell how much more fatigued I was due to atrial fib, as I was already sleeping up to 16 hours a day.

Eventually, my resting heart rate – which as around 120bpm with atrial fib, dropped back down to 160-170bpm. When I was training seriously, it had been 38bpm for years.

I read that exercise is good for atrial fib, within reason. What interested my was how I could have a heart rate of 180bpm and not be out-of-breath. It’s like the heart if just kind of twitching and not pumping at that rate. Strange.

[dindy in reply to lawrencesmith667]

I am like you but a bit older,near 74 but no where as fit!! As I previously mentioned if it was not for my watch I would have no idea my heart rate was climbing to a high rate so for me even if watches are not totally accurate they are possibly be a life saver. Funny the docs also say I have asthma ,diagnosed at around 71. Thing is I never get any asthma symptoms like coughing,wheezing let alone asthma attacks, ever

[lawrencesmith667 in reply to dindy]

Dindy, I once was in pretty good shape, but I'm certainly not now! I can barely get in two 30 minute outings a week. What I think is interesting is that chest strap monitors are considered more accurate for most, but those with atrial fib may get more out of an optical scanner measuring actual blood flow than from one measuring electrical impluses from the heart. I think Falco1 may be right about just taking the time to feel the pulse in the neck.

[dindy in reply to lawrencesmith667]

Strange but I am more & more taking my pulse from wrist. I did find trying to find my pulse in neck diffacult at 1st as could not get the right spot but ok now. Does it matter what side of neck you take pulse from?? I am right handed some I check left wrist and left side of neck.

[lawrencesmith667]

Of course I meant "dropped back down to 60-70bpm" Ouch!

[dindy in reply to lawrencesmith667]

Man, 160-170 resting heart rate!! Glad it was only a typo error

😀

[Hidden]

Good to read your post dindy. I've always gone with the old fashioned check pulse rate to right fingers to right side of neck to count pulse and see if irregular or not. Do need to invest in a more technical and reliable source though

[dindy]

I can find neck pulse on right side of neck with left hand but be blowed if I can find it with right hand!! Just need more practise I think.