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Heart rate accuracy

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‎12-12-2019 17:09 - last edited on ‎08-20-2020 20:01 by Fitbit Moderator

‎12-12-2019 17:09 - last edited on ‎08-20-2020 20:01 by Fitbit Moderator

A little about me, 34, 6’5, 240, white, male

 

i was just curious what other people get as far as heart rates. There is very little that’s posted online and wanted to compare

 

When slow walking, around the office etc, my HR is in the high 80s to mid 90s usually. If I go longer walks, outside etc, it can go a little over 100.  Also, I seem to have a heart rate spike in the shower, typically over 100, but some days I’m under 100, large variation from day to day. Are those numbers fairly typical? Recovery seems to be rather quick, but I also know my Fitbit takes over a minute sometimes to catch back up. 

I also downloaded another app called cardiogram, it shows my rhr as 69 and my Fitbit app shows my rhr at 62.  Has anyone had experience with both apps? Which one is more accurate? I was happy with a 62 rhr, but 69 is a little on the higher end of where I want to be

 

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity 

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‎12-13-2019 14:53

‎12-13-2019 14:53

Hi @Nsofokles, welcome to the Community Forums!

 

Thanks for bringing this to my attention and for all the information that was shared in your post. I'd like to share with you that to determine your heart rate, the optical heart-rate sensor in your Alta HR flashes its green LEDs hundreds of times per second and uses light-sensitive photodiodes to detect these volume changes in the capillaries above your wrist. Then your device calculates how many times your heart beats per minute (BPM). The optical heart-rate sensor detects a range of 30-220 BPM.*

We use green LEDS because they maximize the signal detected from the capillaries near the surface of the skin. The optical heart-rate sensor also uses infrared light to determine when the device is on your wrist to improve the accuracy of your heart-rate data. 

 

Keep in mind that we do not recommend our users to compare the data that's tracked with the Fitbit and other tracking-devices because they can use different algorithms to detect heart rate information. Also, I recommend you to visit our help article: How do I improve the accuracy of my heart-rate reading on my Fitbit device?

 

Let me know if you have any additional questions, I'll be around.

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