Fitbit nightmare

[star68]

Hi everyone!

I purchased a fitbit a while ago and is driving me bonkers! I am checking the pulse regularly, normal resting heart around 76 bpm, the moment I get up to do something it jumps to 110 bpm. When I am chewing food my heart beats at 106 pm, so weird the same as if I was walking. One time after having a heavy meal my heart was 105 bpm even though I was sitting down for about two hours, I felt anxious because I was out with friends, doing breathing exercises didn't help. My cardiologist order an ECG I was quite nervous and in pain (I pulled a back muscle) and the nurse kept saying borderline and relax, but she was making me more nervous because of her worried face, she kept saying borderline, how she expects me to relax???

My cardiologist said that was borderline because my heart was beating 99 bpm.

Has anybody experienced these fluctuations eating or moving around with the FItBit? Did you ever had a borderline ECG because of fast heartbeat? How about if someone is anxious while doing an ECG?

Thank you

[Lauriem4]

My heart rate can be 60 whilst sitting then when I get up can jump up to 100 think it's anxiety related maybe it is as I'm thinking it's going to beat faster when I stand up and make me dizzy

[Agora1]

Hi star68, everything you are describing is coming from your anxiety. Yes, when we are anxious, the h/r does go up but the cardiologist can tell with an EKG that it's coming from anxiousness and not a heart arrhythmia. When sitting your heart beat is lower than when standing up which requires more effort for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. After a meal, the heart is working on digesting our food and so the h/r goes up (normal)

The best thing you can do is get rid of your Fitbit. Tuck it away in the back of your drawer and forget it exists. No one should have to monitor the pulse every minute of every day. It only adds to anxiety. And yes, we all get anxious while having an ECG. I do as well.

Feeling anxious while out with friends or even family is common with the anxious person. We have trouble settling down once we start the ruminating thoughts going. Once that starts, it's harder to deep breathe the anxiety away. You need to practice deep breathing at home every day until it becomes so automatic that way before you feel anxious, the deep breathing will start and avoid the tense moment. You sound like an average person with anxiety disorder. You are safe, you are okay. Instead of Fitbit, try using some meditation/relaxation and deep breathing throughout the day. It will naturally lower you heart rate and calm your emotions. xx

[star68 in reply to Agora1]

Hi Agora 1, as always your answers make complete sense. I will definitely put the fitbit away it is becoming an obsession, I will follow your advise and practice on meditation and breathing exercises so when I am out I am not forcing it but comes more natural. Thank again for your support

[b1b1b1]

Throw out the fitbit. IMO this is a useless item, just designed to make $$$ for whatever company produces it. It serves no purpose for anyone.

[star68 in reply to b1b1b1]

Yes, you are right, I thought it will help me to check my fitness levels but it's generating more anxiety. Thanks for the support

[Preciouslamb1]

Hello Star68

I have had a Fitbit for about 4 years now. Never had a problem until my anxiety went out of control and the Fitbit had me freaking out and at Urgent Care. For me, the Fitbit showed resting heart beat of 53-54 etc. I went to urgent care and the ekg machine showed 68 resting heart beat and they told me I was fine. So first thing is that Fitbit is not perfect, I read that they are about 84 perfect accurate. So they are not perfect. It’s normal for your heartbeat to go up after eating, and prior to getting an ekg , you are nervous of course! Even after getting three ekg done and getting checked with primary doctor and they all telling me my heart was fine, I kept stressing and checking my heartbeat on that Fitbit all the time! It’s was exhausting! This is how anxiety plays tricks with our minds! Sometimes I would feel like my heart beat was up, and would check Fitbit right away and my heartbeat would be 69 or 70. So my mind was just playing tricks with me. So my piece of advice? Get rid of it, stop checking your heartbeat!! I know is easier said than done but that’s my advice. Follow doctors advice as well.

[star68 in reply to Preciouslamb1]

Yes, I totally agree with you, I will get rid of it. Thanks for the support

[Agora1]

I agree Preciouslamb1, the Fitbit needs to go. When I was in that period of time where my main focus was my heart, I had bought a Casio High Tech watch that took b/p, h/r and even ran a 15 sec cardio strip. My doctor was fascinated by it. Although he suggested I get rid of it, I kept it until it no longer ran anymore. Ironically, my anxiety dropped drastically after that. It took a little while to get use to not monitoring every move I made, but it was the best thing to happen.

We're never alone in what we do regarding anxiety issues. xx

[autumnthebrat2]

yes, anxious people should not have a fit bit. Years ago, I purchased a blood pressure machine. I was constantly checking and was freaking out cause it was low all the time. Then, all of a sudden, I would check it and it would be high. Now, when ever someone takes a blood pressure cuff out, my pulse quickens and I can barely breathe. I have a mini panic attack, so you can never get an accurate blood pressure.

[star68 in reply to autumnthebrat2]

Yes, I have been there with the blood pressure machine. My mother had high blood pressure and her mother as well, so I have always seen her panicking if it went high because she always feared having a stroke her mother died from it, so I have inherited it her fear among others of having high blood pressure issues, and at times I will check several times a day.

[Abadar]

Star68, this is the best post I have seen in the last many days. You described a perfect normal Physiological response of ur pulse. Heart rate between 60 and 100 is considered normal. Below 60 is bradycardia and above 100 tachycardia. The doctor and nurse meant you have a borderline tachycardia. It was definitely not an arrhythmia. As Agora and other friends suggested either get rid of fitbit or use it for your therapy intelligently. By this I mean download its software on ur handheld/mobile. if u wear it during sleep u will see ur resting heart rate drop to 60s... this will tell u that u r perfectly normal and your heart rate in wakefulness increases just because of anxiety. You can witness on my guarantee that in brisk walk ur heart rate will go up to about 140 and then Return after about 10 minutes to 105-115. This will comfort you a lot. Our autonomic system fluctuates heart rate, cardiac output and BP within milliseconds of stimulus like thinking, chewing, listening to a mobile ring etc. Relax you are like alllll of us.....brothers and sisters in Anxiety!

[star68]

LOL, yes, the Doctor said it was borderline because of the fast heartbeat. When I had it done I had pain from a facet joint injure and I walked to the hospital which takes me an hour, so my heart rate was probably affected by the pain and rushing to get there. What really gets me is that some nurses they put the panic face while they are reading the ecg, and it's not the first time that has happened to me, the first time about six months ago my ecg was giving error, so the nurse is asking me if I feel tachycardia so I said no, but the lines of the ecg kept going blurry, so she shows the doctor and the doctor tells her to remove my mobile from the table because is giving interferences to the ecg machine. So you can imagine the state of me until the doctor realized about the mobile.

This second time she kept putting the surprise face and kept saying relax, so the more she was saying it the more I was panicking, until I saw the doctor I wasn't able to relax.

I did explained to the nurse that I was nervous, and she says, "What is the point of being nervous? We are in this life to be happy!" then I thought she either belongs to a religious cult or she has 0 emotional psychology. I don't think hospital staff are trained properly to deal with anxious patients, they see us as ridiculous human beings making a fuzz about nothing, it really is sad Sorry that I went on a bit but I needed to vent my frustration

Thank you Abadar for your support and thanks to everyone else!