Heart Rate changes walking the dog

[jnoble01]

Ive noticed when walking fido my heart rate stays between 70 and 90 then every once in a while it jumps up to 130 its a bit alarming so ill stop until it slows down.  It also happens when i'm doing other routine activities. my resting heart rate is 55 and if im watching TV and then get up for something it will often jump over 100.  is anyone else seeing this.  i sometimes think id be better off taking the fitbit off when im not exercising

[J-flex]

If you find this concerning you may want to discuss with your Dr.  I don’t use my Fitbit to monitor my HR as I find it’s not accurate....just saying.....

[Bill_k]

I wouldn't worry about it. Heart rate changes for lots of reasons . A sudden exertion, movement,adrenalin,caffeine,right after you eat etc .

Also the fitbit heart monitor has quirks.

With sudden change it will all of a sudden overshoot and go up to 140 for me and then come down.

Sometimes it'll stop recording heart rate altogether for a few minutes and when it starts it'll overshoot and go to 140 for 20 seconds.

Sure if it goes way high for an extended period when you are doing nothing to warrant it you might get concerned that it's broken or whatever.

I worry more now about average heart rate after i'm done walking or whatever.

Just my observations.

[SunsetRunner]

wrist monitors aren't truly accurate, they measure the flow of blood, not the heart rate.  They are still good at giving you a baseline to measure against though.  

"Unlike chest strap heart rate monitors -- which closely emulate a real EKG machine by measuring electrical pulse -- these devices use light to track your blood. By illuminating your capillaries with an LED, a sensor adjacent to the light measures the frequency at which your blood pumps past (aka your heart rate).May 22, 2014"

Do wristband heart trackers actually work? A checkup. - CNET

[Alicat2104]

I wouldn't trust the HR monitor to be medically accurate, but if you have real concerns best to see a doctor.

[Esya]

When you notice this reading you can always check your pulse old fashion style by feeling it in your neck (counting beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four). Then you know if it is a quirky behaviour of the fitbit or if your pulse really is peaking at times. If it happens to be your pulse really peaking and you are concerned about that, you could talk to your doctor about it.

[emili · Accepted solution]

exactly as @Esya said and you may want to check in with how you are feeling in that moment. Are you breathing hard, sick to your stomach, dizzy, pains shooting.. if all else is good, it is either a spike that is normal or the monitor acting goofy. If you are truly concerned, a call to your doctor should be made. As well meaning as we all are, we don't really know...