Charge 6 - Stopped Tracking Heart Rate Variability

[Growitorganic]

After several months of accurately tracking heart rate variability, my Fitbit suddenly started reporting 0 heart rate variability for days on end. It gives me a number other than zero about once a week. Since cardio load is based on HRV, my cardio load recommendations are useless. 

I’ve cleaned the sensors, cleaned my wrist, tightened the band, switched wrists, reset the app a dozen times, updated the app, offloaded and reloaded the app on my iPhone to clear the cache, and rebooted my iPhone—nothing has worked. Still zero HRV every morning. Sleep tracking is working and reporting 1 hour plus of deep sleep per night, so it should be able to get an HRV reading.. 

Any suggestions?  

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[MaCrisGBFitbit]

Hi @Growitorganic!  Welcome on board to our community forums!

I'm sorry to hear that your Charge 6 is not tracking your heart rate variability. 

It's important to check your heart rate monitor settings: 

1. On the screen of your watch go to "Settings"
2. Swipe up and select "Heart Rate"
3. Verify if your Heart rate is On or Off          

If your Heart Rate settings are On please try a sensor restart following these steps: 

1. Switch from On to Off
2. Synchronize
3. Switch from Off to On
4. Synchronize

After performing the above procedure, we ask you to restart your Charge 6.

[Growitorganic]

Thanks!  I just followed your recommendation. We’ll see if it works tomorrow morning. I appreciate the quick reply. 

[Growitorganic]

Well, I tried your sensor reset protocol yesterday, and this morning…still 0 heart rate variability. That’s been the reading every morning for the last 10 days or so, and then I got a single reading after a week of zeros. 

I’m going to try again tonight, and see if it does anything. This is getting really frustrating. 

[Growitorganic]

Tried the reset protocol a second time … still showing a big fat 0 for heart rate variability for the second day in a row. My last HRV reading was almost 2 weeks ago, and it’s the ONLY HRV reading in the last month. There’s a whole bunch of zeroes. 

any ideas

-------

Moderator edit - word choice

[JoeFromVA]

I’m not claiming this to be your answer, but my HR variability went to zero on days when I had episodes of AFIB. Looking back in the history on the app, it is extremely clear (to me) the sensor and algorithm can’t get a good number during these times. 

As a test of the Fitbit , can you let someone else wear it for a 24 hour window to see if they get HRV? 

Hope this helps.

Moderator Edit: Personal info removed

[Growitorganic]

Thanks for the suggestion about letting someone else wear it for 24 hours—too bad my wife hates anything on her wrist. 

As for AFIB, I’ve never had an issue with itvas far as I know, and my doctor just checked my heart. I think if I’d had 6 weeks straight of AFIB episodes, I would have noticed something amiss. I’ve been adding sprint intervals to a vigorous hill walk and my heart is in better shape than it has been in years. Before my Fitbit stopped tracking HRV, mine had been on a slow but steady rise for weeks. 

[JoeFromVA]

I never had any symptoms from AFIB as well.  But here are two screenshots of my HRV.  Week before my ablation and the week of my ablation.  No Fitbit reset.  Nothing.  

Again, just my results. But incredibly accurate.  HRV of zero also tracked when I had a halter monitor. 100% match.

Bottom line is that it could be your sensor. For me, it was a heartbeat improper enough to throw off the Fitbit.