Fitbit premium and heart rate information? Atrial Flutter.

[Sugarplumhemmings]

I was diagnosed with Atrial Flutter 2 years ago after a n A&E visit when I felt really ill suddenly. Heart rate at 140 for several hours.I was put on Rivaroxaban and Bisoprolol and a subsequent Echo showed no problems. The Bisoprolol left me totally without energy and as my heart rate wasn’t too high I was given the go ahead to stop it and was discharged 6 months later. All has been fine, I’ve not had another episode and always check on my Fitbit scores daily. However I have recently got a newer Fitbit and IPad and got 6 months premium free and I have been discovering the additional information. It turns out that whilst I was checking my heart rate on the beats per minute chart and feeling thankful that overnight it was between 44 and 65 it says different things on the active zone minutes. It records brief periods of up to 125 when early on in sleep! My resting heart rate is usually around 52 . I’ve also noticed that going back I’ve had about 6 instances where my heart rate has gone up to 150 and I haven’t noticed anything lasting for about a minute.. This is on the active zone minutes. I’m wondering if I have previously been lulled into a false state of security and need to start taking the Bisoprolol again as a precaution. Should I ask to be referred to the Cardiologist again?

[jeanjeannie50]

I've read that even the hearts of people without AF can have a few extra or missed beats without knowing. I am not medically trained so to be on the safe side mention what is happening to your GP. I'm guessing that you are still taking your anticoagulant?

Jean

[Sugarplumhemmings in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you. Yes still on the blood thinner.

[secondtry]

In your shoes, I would need a pretty strong argument before I took any further medication and if that was presented I may well go for a second opinion.

[Thomas45]

I go on how I feel, not on a gadget which tells me that when I was asleep my heart rate went up. It may be that there's an error with the algorithm on the Fitbit, which causes the higher heart rate, rather than a true reflection of your actual heart rate. Constant checking of a gadget will increase your anxiety.

There must be research somewhere about heart rate patterns during sleep. What is normal? Without knowing what is normal, within what parameters, you can't say, that yours is abnormal.

[Sugarplumhemmings in reply to Thomas45]

Thank you. I actually googled this as I was so worried. On the Fitbit forum many people had reported that on the active zone minutes graph a huge spike had appeared always between 1am and 2am which is exactly what’s happened to me! It did not appear on their heart rate graph either. I don’t think I’m going to renew the premium offer as potentially false information adds to the daily concerns of anyone with an electrical heart problem.

[Auriculaire]

Dreams? Totally agree with Thomas45. Ditch the watch when sleeping.

[clifetta]

My fitbit records heart rate up to 180 for brief periods at night,every night. My resting rate is 70. I have af and leaky valves. I feel fine so dont worry about it..I had to stop bisoprolol as I felt dreadful on it and it only lowered my heart rate by 4. I take edoxaban twice a day.

[AVNA]

You best choice to rest your concerns would be that your GP refer you to have an ECG test to find out if you are having arrhythmias, signs of AFib.

Note: I have had a Fitbit Premium for a few years now, it has been of great help to me and still is. But every person and symptoms are different. Always consult a professional health expert.

F

[Shcldavies]

Only the Doc can answer your questions with any competency and knowledge to make such decisions. It could be that you trigger your hearts self preservation system when your bpm goes below a certain threshold, it thinks the normal signals are not working and automatically turns some of your heart muscle cells into cells that trigger the pulses (like the cells in your Sinus and AV nodes) - your heart is a really wonderful thing that has this ability built in along with many other remarkable self preservation systems. Even the most competent Docs only cover the tip of an iceberg when it comes to the human body (Unfortunitly our built in self preservation systems can fool the Docs into treating the wrong problem).

[Nafi]

I too showed nighttime 'episodes ' on my fitbit premium. I switched it off ! I take bisoprolol and anticoagulants and recently had a 2 week monitor fitted. It did show some AF nighttime and daytime but consultant hasn't changed anything. I do suffer from very restless sleep patterns and wondering if this could be partly responsible. You should discuss it with your EP to be on the safe side .

[Sugarplumhemmings in reply to Nafi]

Thank you all for your responses. I feel reassured for now and will make an appointment in due course to discuss

[BenHall1]

I gave up Fitbit some time ago, years. I found the product unreliable when checked against my Kardia during waking hours. Sleep ......... given that up years ago, not bothered about mny readings .......... just grateful if I get good restful sleep at all. I do use other trackers if I feel so inclined.

[Sugarplumhemmings in reply to BenHall1]

Thank you for replying. I generally sleep well and regularly score a 90 on Fitbit if I choose to accept it’s accurate!