I want to monitor my heart rate better. I have a Withings Steel HR. I have thought for some time thr heart readings seem off.
This morning I did a treadmill stres test as part of an ongoing diagnosis. The difference between the hospital equipment and my watch was horrible... My watch was off by 52.....
Can anyone recommend a watch that does better with heart rate? Mine seems to be guessing....
Edited to add, I have a Samsung phone.
I have an Apple Watch 8.
And it seems similar to full multi-lead ECG regarding heart rate. But I've not had the opportunity to genuinely compare at the same time.
And you always need to consider that it does its own processing and deciding what to alert, etc.
And you need an Apple iPhone.
Just curious, but given the state and condition of most hospital equipment, is there any chance your watch was the accurate measurement?
Edited to add, doh, just realised you’ve said you thought the readings on your watch might be off.
I’m gonna put on another vote for Apple Watch (also series 8). I find it really good. I’ve got a FitBit too (I was trying to save money) but the Apple Watch is way better.
Unlikely. I have dysautonomia with tachycardia when I move. My watch is able to track to about 120 but rounds it off after the fact to bellow 106.
I have also previously used a kardia monitor to record up to 145.
Anyhow, the test got my heart up to 162 before it was stopped and my watch recorded 110. My heart definitely felt like it was thumping faster than I can remember it thumping before.
My Apple Watch has recorded over 200. And I do believe that was accurate - it is exactly the pattern I saw when hooked up.
But whether it manages the same in all circumstances is another matter.
Many mention Kardia devices - but you have to positively measure with them - not just let the device do its thing without even thinking about it. And I think that backgrounding of the device is a major plus point. (Regardless manufacturer.)
I mostly want to monitor that my medication is alright... Seems it's mostly up to me to decide that. So, I like to see it's not dropped too low resting or not been effective when moving around. Though, still have thyroid fatigue from when that first started in July 2023 and worse since dysautonomia started in April.
While it is perfectly reasonable to ask here - and quite a number of members have some sort of device - you might find additional views and information on other forums such as the atrial fibrillation forum:
healthunlocked.com/afassoci...
I just ran a search on their posts for "withings" (just as a starter) and got a number of hits:
healthunlocked.com/afassoci...
I'm pretty sure there will also be other forums which might help.
Hi Obsdian if you have a Samsung phone then a garmin watch will work it and reviews suggest it’s accurate. You could also go with a Samsung watch, I used to use one and found it accurate.
I shall read about them. Just seems a hundred watches out there claiming to be amazing.
Garmin is a really well known brand used to track exercise so might be a good one to look at and I Samsung always have offers on so you might get a bargain. YouTube has a few videos assessing watch HR and step accuracy, they are very boring but might be useful. Apple Watch is another option but it’s expensive and you’d need an iPhone. Happy shopping.
I am behind on internet stuff. Didn't occur to me to see what youtube says.
Apple Watch starts at £219 for the SE, and £399 for the 10.
Lower prices are often available. (Mine was quite a few pounds off.) And I always used cheap straps!
Not an insignificant amount of money, to be sure, but certainly Garmins are not necessarily cheaper.
Hi Obsdian - another Garmin fan here - I have a 255 (now superseded by the 265), which is outstanding for obtaining heart rate data, including heart rate variability, which is very valuable as a warning that things might be amiss before you can even feel it! NOTE: this is a sports watch, so may well have far more options than you want/need.
But, for comprehensive reviews and a matrix comparison of many, many types of watch that can monitor heart rate, I *HIGHLY* recommend DCRainmaker:
dcrainmaker.com/product-com...
(Please don't be put off/overwhelmed by the number of options and busy looking page, just used the drop-down menus to narrow your options and give you some ideas 😊)
I used to have a Fitbit Charge 4 which was very good but when that expired I swapped to an Oura ring as I've always resented wearing a watch especially when I couldn't read it without my glasses on!
You don't need eyes to get the time from an Apple Watch! Indeed, there are several options:
Tapped out on your wrist
Spoken
Chimes
support.apple.com/en-gb/gui...
Adding so that anyone reading knows of these options - and can look for similar features (in other devices) if they are possibly of use to them.
I've never heard of this one, definitely needs a google.
I adore my Garmin Fenix 5+ so much so that I'm going to upgrade to the newer version soon (and that's a cool £500, however you can get second hand models). However I have to admit I'm a hillwalker and I use it to track aerobic and anaerobic exercise and how much I should be doing over the week.
Regarding heart rate, it is incredibly useful for that. It also tracks VO2 max which is regarded as the zenith in fitness measuring. I was in hospital last year (sepsis etc) and when I came out my resting heart rate was very high, close to 95. I did as much exercise as I could so that now it is back down to 65 ish. I wouldn't have known that without my watch, so it is definitely useful 
Another Garmin lover here. EP consultant says the ECG is good too.
However, I do notice the ECG heart rate can be markedly different to the continous heart rate monitoring. I think the ECG is more accurate as sometimes I can feel my heart racing faster than the continuous monitoring suggests and that is why I do the ECG which then gives higher result.
Perhaps if you have the facility to do a specific HR check on your watch rather than the continuous monitor it may help accuracy?
Ah interesting, my garmin continuously records HR but does not round and I don't think ( maybe wrong) adjusts for ECG
Ugh! I selected a garmin watch to buy... I should write stuff down as I went away and forgot which one it was I liked. Lol So many watched swirling in my head.
UPDATE: I ended up buying the Garmin vivoactive 5 for a few reasons, affordable, basic, customizable.
Today is only my second day wearing it. Spent about two hours yesterday choosing a watch face I like and customizing it.
I can actually set a step goal that is relevant to me and my struggles. That's a big plus. Before I was frustrated that my previous watch's lowest goal was above what I could achieve.
The heart rate graph looks way more realistic as well. It is very zig zaggy to the point some blurs together. I think this is likely far more accurate as my heart rate issues are directly related to movement. Now my watch actually shows that rather than rounding it off like the previous one did.
I have left the movement alert on. Even though those long periods of minimal movement is due to fatigue, maybe it is good to start at least standing up and stretching or such.
It also tracks how much water I drink which is really useful as I forget when fatigued to drink or how much I drink. So now I can see it and hopefully remember to add my drinks to the log. There is a drinking goal too.
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