sudden high heart rate

[Ada-eve]

so today im at a training course and looked at my watch as bored lol to notice my heart rate was 112 and before my eyes was gradually increasing to 124 all while i was just sitting down i opened my app to say i was in cardio as if i was doing a workout ! my heart rate then went back to normal about 64 . i didnt feel anything and wasnt breathless , my question is , is something wrong with my watch or me ? anyone else have any experience of this ? I currently have an 80% blockage in my LAD which is being treated with medication . thanks x

[LadyZ13]

I was out walking at the start of the week, chattering with my husband, glanced at my Fitbit which decided my HR was 180. Er, what?? I stopped in my tracks and thrust it at my husband who felt for my pulse and did a couple of 15 second readings, estimating HR at 90-110 bpm. Took Fitbit off, put it back on, and the reading dropped gradually back to normal.

So yes, trackers can do odd things! If in doubt, take it off and take your own pulse with touch and a stopwatch. They have their place but they're not infallible!

[Ada-eve in reply to LadyZ13]

Thankyou for your reply ,thats the first thing my daughter said did i check my pulse which i didnt think to do .Thats made me feel better knowing its possibly the watch 🤗

[LadyZ13 in reply to Ada-eve]

Absolutely. And there's nothing worse than looking at the numbers and being freaked out! When I was first alerted to my cardiac issue I was waking in the night to check my HR and remember lying there panicking that it was 90 or 100 at rest. A viscous cycle!

[IamAli_R]

Hello Ada-eve,

Hope you are well

Smart watches can show false radings from time to time.

I imagine it's was probably an adrenaline rush that pushed your heart rate to 124 after you saw your high heart rate on the watch.

Which watch do you have by the way?

[Ada-eve in reply to IamAli_R]

its a fitbit ,only use it really to make sure i get my 10,000 steps in but started checking my sleep and heart rate .

[JennyRx]

if you want accuracy then you need a chest band heart monitor. I used to use one when I started running so I could get a really clear picture of my heart rate. I don’t bother now as I can self regulate. I do have a tracker watch but i don’t want to be watching it all the time. I use it more for distances. And they’re known not to be super accurate.

[Mentdent]

if you read the small print it says that smart watches can do this and give incorrect readings for a number of reasons.

[JustJared]

So, my Fitbit was bought not for steps or anything like that, not even to track my "activities." It was bought for the ECG app.

I have AVRNT which is a type of SVT. When I have an episode, it might read 1/2 of the actual rate, but when I do an ECG it shows the actual heart rate. Other times, it will show the correct rate. At home and on my work bench at work, I have an Pulse Oximeter for a quick reading, that is a whole lot more accurate and will be within 1 or 2 BPM of a manual reading.

I spoke to my Community Care Nurse (VA Hospital) about it, and she said it was common. Spoke to my EP NP, and she said it was very common. They said it was something to do with how tight it is to the skin. Normal wear, it is kind of lose, but when you use the ECG app, you are holding it still and tight to the skin.

[Afibflipper]

only just seen your post - we’re you drinking coffee which is often free flowing on courses (caffiene is a no no for me) what about buffet food (high salt is one of my triggers) - hope it’s all settled now

[Ada-eve in reply to Afibflipper]

hi no wasnt drinking coffee or eating was literally sitting doing nothing lol

[Andy455]

I have had similar issues with my smart watch. I now wear a Polar H10 ECG chest strap. It is much more accurate. Sometimes my watch would tell me that my heart rate was in the high 150s BPM but my Polar H10 would read 120 BMP. I never use my watch for measuring my HR.

[Hilianna]

Sometimes my heart jumps sky-high, which I feel, and then drops back down. It shows up on my fitbit watch as a solitary red spike. I feel ok when it happens and just regard it as some sort of aberration. Nothing wrong with the watch just the heart doing funny things.