Apple watch

[Deltrot53]

hi I don’t know if anyone can help but my Apple Watch SE has been showing a high heart rate sometimes 171 I don’t feel like my heart is racing and I have no signs or symptoms it only lasts for less than a minute sometimes only a few second’s sometimes once per day other times nothing for a few days /week it’s not giving me any alerts I only notice it if I check

[Tos92]

Hi Deltrot53

I hope you’re well today.

I have the Apple Watch Series 8. I know you say you aren’t symptomatic, but could this be recorded when you’re in movement such as doing something that requires a lot of force, walking up the stairs, exercising and so on?

Sometimes, these can also be artefacts or blips in the recordings.

If you have an oximeter at home, have you tried to compare your watch to those readings?

Tos

[Deltrot53 in reply to Tos92]

thank you for your reply I’m sure sometimes it could be happening when I’m doing something which requires force but other times when I’m not if I look at it after it says streaming so I’m assuming it’s just randomly taking heart rate in the background I do have a pulse oxomiter but I don’t know when these high readings are happening until I look on my phone mostly later in the day the watch doesn’t give me any indication that my heart rate is high unless I suppose I just happened to be looking at my watch at that time which hasn’t happened yet

[Tos92 in reply to Deltrot53]

the watch is designed to take your heart rate in the background consistently throughout the day and night. Would it be worth making an appointment with your GP and showing them these readings? They may offer to do a holter monitor test to see if they can catch any abnormal heart rhythms.

[Deltrot53 in reply to Tos92]

I was thinking the same I’ve had an echocardiogram a year or so ago which was clear but I think I’ll ring my gp and see what they say

[Kieronwhite in reply to Tos92]

hi, don’t worry mine was saying 199 on one walk but I have a heart loop recorder fitted and I rang the team and my heart rate was actually 71. Turns out I needed to recalibrate my iwatch so panic over

[Jetcat in reply to Tos92]

I gave my new series 8 to my son after only 2 months . and went back to Fitbit. One charge lasts a week. Unlike my Apple Watch that needed charging all time.! Surly when/ iff low on power it may not give an accurate reading.? Just a thought.

[Deltrot53]

I’m sorry to hear of your cardiac arrest I had a stent in my lad in 2018 no heart attack thankfully just as a precaution as I was getting what I now know was angina symptoms I had a stress test in 2019 which was clear and I had an echocardiogram in 2021 which was again clear I also do have my high and low heart rate settings on but I don’t think it’s lasting long enough to register

[Deltrot53 in reply to Deltrot53]

I will do thank you

[Deltrot53]

also mine never happens in the night it’s only in the day

[tachycardia23]

Mine sometimes shows a spike or indeed a low reading. I just put it down to glitches with the watch and only take notice of my normal readings.

[Deltrot53 in reply to tachycardia23]

I was wondering if it was a glitch thanks for the reply

[Deltrot53]

I’m going to be honest I have no idea I just liked the picture

[Deltrot53]

thank you for your reply mine sometimes has drops also

[Deltrot53]

I think it still needs to be for 10 mins

[Deltrot53]

she looks beautiful

[Highlandmist]

I've queried the spikes I've had where my heart rate is shown as 80 then a blank space, then 132, Apple suggested tightening the band, which I did and that did help. There will be glitches, sometimes caused by the 'crown' being near the wrist bone too.

If you're worried, speak to your GP - don't let the watch take over (I did for a while and sometimes reading the outputs gets your heart beating faster and then you're in a cycle).

You can also get feedback from the Apple forum, but understand the watches are not 100% accurate.

As others have said, you can set your watch to inform you if your heart rate is either too low/too high (for a period of 10 mins). You can take your readings under the ECG option too and save the output to email, always good if you want to show your GP.

Hope this helped... even a little bit x

[Deltrot53 in reply to Highlandmist]

thank you for your reply it was getting to the stage where I was constantly looking to see if I could catch an episode but I’m thankfully now not looking as much

[Blackknight57]

apple watched are unreliable. I have the same results. Its isnt that long either. Fact is if you shake your hand while tge watch is measuring it will go off scale.

[Stentrunner]

I get occasional spikes too. I have no idea whether it’s one or two odd beats, or a glitch in the watch. I asked in the Couch to 5k forum since I always notice it when I’m running. No one else got it, and most thought it was the watch. Since I have AF you might expect spikes, but I’ve never been able to pin them down!

[Jako999]

Their not great, I find I have to turn mine off every now and then, keeping the back really clean and also if you arm is hairy where it sits it doesn’t like either.

[Biglad1]

Try cleaning the rear of the watch. It Could be abit sweaty & dirty with all the hot weather we are having.

[juanitamc]

You can turn on heart rate notifications when you first open the Heart Rate app on your Apple Watch, or at any time later from your iPhone:

On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.

Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Heart.

Tap High Heart Rate, then choose a BPM.

Tap Low Heart Rate, then choose a BPM.

Hope this helps!

[MoBeee]

My Samsung watch saved me twice, first time 18 months ago when taking my granddaughter to school felt weak and breathless; checked my hr, was over 200 bpm ended up in hospital for a week and was diagnosed svt. Second time heat related , my watch showed over 208 bpm , ended up in a&e who thankfully with a shot of adenosine brought it down. These watches are normally super accurate.

[Wingnutty]

Here is an online metronome musicca.com/metronome .set it to 171 so you know what that sounds like and next time you have an episode, take your own pulse, either radial or carotid and you should get an idea if it is similar to 171 BPM straight away so long as you remember what 171 BPM sounds like.

[german14]

I have had similar readings from my Apple Watch. Heart rate of 198, 208 etc. The heart rate only lasts a few seconds. I have tried to capture this on either an oximeter or a kardia device but it doesn’t last longer than 12 secs. The high readings have been at night between 8 pm- 11 pm while at rest lying on the couch watching tv. I have been getting these readings since last year. I have had a 24 hour Holter monitor which did not show a high reading that was on my watch(169). I have ectopics , Extrasystoles etc and Sve. I think when I have a high reading on my watch it is during the ectopics etc.

[Tos92]

I’ve noticed my watch won’t let me take an ECG recording when it’s sitting against my wrist bone. Where would you recommend I wear it as this is a constant issue for me. Would it be a little bit higher up on the forearm?

The picture I’ve attached is where it normally sits and it’s touching my wrist bone.

Tos Apple Watch placement on wrist

[Blackknight57 in reply to Tos92]

older ones dont.

[Tos92 in reply to Blackknight57]

I am aware the older series’ of watches do not have the ECG function. What I was trying to say was mine doesn’t take a reading unless the watch is sitting on the wrist in a certain way with a certain placement despite having the ECG function. I think wearing it a little higher up will solve the issue.

[Blackknight57 in reply to Tos92]

ecg is usually done via the crown wheel.

[Tos92 in reply to Tos92]

Oh yes, I know. It just doesn’t pick up a reading because it’s not touching my skin correctly. To be fair, my wrist is a little on the smaller side so I’ve noticed the entire face of the watch doesn’t sit comfortably on my wrist anyway. That might have a part to play in not picking up a reading as well.

[Blackknight57 in reply to Tos92]

i got myself a strap that fits more like a normal watch from amazon.

As fir skin contact have you noticed that gge watch doesnt charge properly every time? Grease and dirt on the contact areas can cause havok!

[Jack2019]

if you want to double check it's accuracy count your pulse on your wrist for ten seconds then multiply by six. and compare to the watch reading. If you check your pulse, manually , often , with or without symptoms, you learn your rhythm and can detect if something is abnormal for you. I was taught this at cardio rehab..

[Smitty1956]

Hi, Deltrot53,

I use an Apple Watch too, and I also like to keep a reasonable track of my heart rate. I have noticed sometimes when I am walking for exercise or doing some household chore that I may get a blip for a few seconds, or maybe a minute of beats at 161 or 168, etc. My watch does not give me an alert about this high rate because of how I have my alerts set.

For example, I may have my watch set to alert if my heart rate stays above 142 for 3 minutes. You can set your watch to alert you for when a particular heart rate occurs for a specific amount of time. That way, for me personally, I don’t worry about the bpm unless I have reached a specific threshold and my heart stays at that rate.

You can go to your watch app on your phone and click on notifications. That will allow you to see your current settings and/or change them. Scroll down until you see a list of all available alerts.

Click on heart and then check, select, or change your watch heart settings alerts.

Sometimes, it does seem that our alerts may not be working properly when we never seem to get an alert notice. A few weeks back, I was taking a bag of trash out to my wheelie bin. The bin should have been totally empty, but some of my neighbors throw their loose trash into my can. I was upset so I decided to tip the wheelie bin over and then pick up the loose trash to put into a bag. Well, my hands slipped and I dropped the bin with a loud crash. My Apple Watch immediately alerted telling me that I had taken a bad fall and should it dial 911. So, the alerts do work properly, but it all depends on your settings.

You might want to discuss your heart rate concerns with your doctor because it is very scary when we see that our heart rate went so high. Also, the doctor might be able to suggest the best alert setting numbers for you.

Best wishes! 😊

[Smitty1956]

Hi, Braveheart,

That actually sounds painful about the blood supply to your hand. You might be wearing your watch too tightly.

I am not an expert with my Apple Watch. I have only the standard watch band that came with the watch (Series 7). I wear it tightly enough for good skin contact, but not too tight on my wrist. I do try to make the most of the available health tools that it provides. For example, a few minutes ago, I used the Mindfulness app on it to practice breathing and to reflect. I have anxiety disorder so that tool helps me to focus and become more calm, which helps my breathing issues.

I know what you mean about the battery life I have to charge daily, but that may have to do with how often I check things like my Stand ring, or use my Mindfulness app, etc. I actually have several apps on my watch (not as many as on my phone), but maybe too many 😃.

I view my watch as just one more medical tool that provides me with some on-the-spot data. It might be that someone else on the forum can offer more precise information to your question.

Blessings to you! 🙏

[Blackknight57]

when i was doing cardio exercises they told me how un reliable they are . 157bpm , knew it wasn't as i had a strap on heart monitor which said 120. So its miles out

[Cliford37]

Hello my friends...so good to read all your views on Apple watches ive just purchased one after my high blood pressure scare where i had to take my blood pressure for a month i also had a 24 hour heart monitor im now awaiting to see the results at doctor....anyway back to the watch its having its first charge as we speak and im reading its instructions and dreading this new tech watch im useless lol....BUT all your snips on it has given me lots to think about so thank you xx