When should I be concerned about sudden variations in my heart rate ranging from 50bpm to 100+ in a matter of minutes whilst resting?

[Bpollitt34]

My heart rate has been changing rapidly whilst resting and I have found no answers on Google and I was wondering if anyone has any advice?

The screenshot is taken whilst resting, this happens multiple times a day and I am unsure why.

As you can see my heart rate goes from 100bpm down to about 50bpm within a matter of minutes.

Is this normal? I have found little to no answers on Google.

[Zeinmassri]

Hello

Just wondering if you suffer any symptoms when that happens. If you don’t feel it then it might be faulty. I honestly don’t trust smart watches but I use them only as guideline not a diagnosis.

Honestly the best thing you can do it get in touch with you GP and ask them to do an urgent referral to a cardiologist or request a holter monitor not sure if that done through a GP or a cardiologist.

But if it happens daily and several times a day a 24 hr holter monitor will catch the arrhythmia.

Don’t look it up on google biggest mistake you can do trust me I learned the hard way. All what google gives are worst case scenarios and false info everywhere.

I would contact your GP right away because maybe you need to be on blood thinners.

[Palpman]

Isn't it perhaps faulty interpretation of the readings?

Normally the heart beats once every second. The monitor reads the time between 2 or 3 pulses and translates it to BPM.

If you have an ectopic beat between 2 normal beats then the monitor will record it as a beat period of 0,5 seconds and show it as 120 BPM.

It may not be normal sinus rhythm at 60 bpm but odd ectopics giving faulty 120 bpm.

I hope you understand my reasoning.

[RailRover in reply to Palpman]

That's very interesting Palpman. I've had a few watches and while walking I've noticed that the reading can be steady for a while but will then sometimes double, say from 70bpm to 140bpm, although I feel exactly the same, and on taking the pulse digitally it is still quite low. Having had a heart attack, I have often wondered whether the watch is picking up the peak as shown on an ECG after MI and doubling my pulse rate, but I don't know whether this is actually possible. I also have ectopic beats, but not as often as I get strange pulse rates on the watch, or I suppose I might be having them and not feeling them. I asked a cardiologist about these matters and he looked at me as though I was nuts.

[Bpollitt34]

I can feel my heart pounding when the reading goes higher and I have also manually measured my pulse at the same time as what the watch was saying.