Heart Rate inconsistancy

[dvdmon]

I just noticed something today that I hadn't before about the heart rate sensor.  I'm thinking that maybe the issue is more about how it displays heart rate values on the Blaze itself vs. how it records it.  By that I mean I think it actually records a value and saves it to your account that is much more accurate than what is displayed on the watch (at least some of the time).  For example, when I do cardio workouts, which are essentially low-intensity treadmil sessions where I walk at most 3.6mph, I see on my Polar HR monitor that I'm maybe maxing at 130bpm, but usually in the 110-125 range.  However, on my Blaze, I typically see in the 180's, whenever I look at it.  I start it in exercise mode and set it to treadmil and keep it on the heart rate measurement.  However, when I go back into my fitbit dashboard, and look at the exercise log there, it shows that my max was 169, and I only got to that twice momentarily and probably 85% of the values are under 150, with 15% between 150 and 169, give or take.  So, while there still seems to be some innacuracy, it's much less than what my Blaze seems to be telling me every time I look at it.  There must be something not working quite right in the display, which makes me a lot less peeved about this, and hopeful that this can be fixed, since it is at least recording a heart rate that is in the ballpark most of the time, just not displaying it to me live.  That's a big inconvenience of course, but it would be a lot worse it were actually recording very faulty data all the time...

[AdamMSC]

I,too, have noticed this. Mine has been showing lower values than it should and then recording something higher on the dashboard.

[thatlaurenchick]

I'm having the same issues when working out. I've tried switching wrists, adjusting the tightness of the band and distance from my wrist bone. But the blaze monitor seems to register my heart rate much lower than it did on my HR. I'd love to find out why. I love my blaze but this is very very frustrating

[gratti]

I noticed the exact thing today... I went for a run, and I was also using a second wrist HR monitor (MioAlpha) which I`m use to and i`m pretty confident that is really accurate.  During the run, my Mio was showing my HR around 160 BPM, but my Blaze never went over 140 BPM... when I synced and looked at the dashboard, the max HR registred by my Blaze was around 155  BPM. 

So yeah, same problem. 

[AlejandraFitbit]

It's great to see you around @dvdmon, @AdamMSC, @thatlaurenchick and @gratti. Thanks for the information about the heart rate accuracy. I recommend restarting your trackers and after that test them. You can also check our What should I know about my heart rate data? article where you will be able to find some tips to improve this feature.

I hope this helps, let me know how it goes. 

[thatlaurenchick]

@AlejandraFitbit I've tried all of the suggestions in the forums, from the shelf articles and on the website. The only thing that seems to make a small difference is positioning the monitor on the inside of my wrist. However doing that seems to make me more likely to accidentally pause or end the workout session due to the sensitivity of the pause button on the face. So that's not a great solution either. I actually just finished a workout during which my heart rate jumped from 90 - 160 in a matter of seconds after I ended a rep. Can someone one please help me?! It's been a year of dealing with this issue now and id really like some legitimate solutions.

[thatlaurenchick]

*help articles

[Aclobos]

@thatlaurenchick I'm new to Fitbit only had my blaze a couple of weeks. It sounds like you have checked everything. You might what to check you profile to see that it's correct. I think Fitbit is using your profile for you bpm, you can also try to change your heart rate zone. To change your profile click on your name when you go to your account and click on edit your profile. You can update your profile. To change your heart rate zone just go to account and look for heart rate zone, once there you can set your custom zone. They say 220 minus your weight will give you your bpm. I'm not sure if this will help but it's worth a shot

[bbarrera]

---

@thatlaurenchick wrote:
However doing that seems to make me more likely to accidentally pause or end the workout session due to the sensitivity of the pause button on the face. So that's not a great solution either. I actually just finished a workout during which my heart rate jumped from 90 - 160 in a matter of seconds after I ended a rep.

---

@thatlaurenchick Wrist-based optical HR monitors are not the most reliable way to detect HR. A few things make it difficult for the HRM to do its job - interference from outside light, movement, wrist flexing, location of your veins, etc. It doesn't work well for everyone, and tends to do better during steady-state cardio activities like walking and running where your wrists aren't flexing (vs cycling because of handlebar grip, or weight lifting). On a positive note, it generally works well when you are at rest. 

Sounds like you've tried to resolve and your Fitbit doesn't work well for you. Which one do you have? Different Fitbit trackers have different shapes and sit differently on your wrist. If you want to stay with Fitbit then buy a different model from a store with good return policy and if it doesn't work then return it.

Another alternative if you want to monitor HR during exercise - there is an optical HRM that is worn above/below your elbow. The elbow location is more ideal than the wrist and works almost as well as a chest strap. The other alternative is chest strap, that is the gold standard for monitoring HR outside a lab.

[thatlaurenchick]

Thank you! I appreciate the reply and additional background information. I
have the blaze (which I've had since March). I love all of the other
functionality, just not the heart rate monitor accuracy during exercise.
I'll investigate other HR monitoring devices and incorporate them in to my
routine. Thanks again!

Moderator edit: removed personal information. 

[bbarrera]

I'd suggest trying the Charge 2 when it arrives in stores, and again, verify store return policy in case it doesn't improve things. The other one I mentioned is Scosche Rhythm+ (worn above/below elbow). And of course chest straps from Polar, Garmin, Wahoo, etc.