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Fitbit Ionic heart rate is not accurate on the treadmill

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Hi,

 

I've recently moved from Polar with separate heart rate monitor to Fitbit Ionic. I've noticed the heart rate isn't accurate compared with my Polar. When jumping on the treadmill my hear rate shoots right up. This isn't usually the case. I've cross checked it with the treadmill's own native monitor which is completely different.

 

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

 

 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

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There is a number of threads about inaccurate heart rate monitor in Ionic.

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Hey guys @Invader75 and @SunsetRunner, it's nice to see you around the Community Forums! As you may know, your heart rate may be affected by any a number of factors at any given moment. Movement, temperature, humidity, stress level, physical body position, caffeine intake, and medication use are just a few things that can affect your heart rate. Different medical conditions and medications can impact your heart rate as well.

 

When your heart beats, your capillaries expand and contract based on blood volume changes. PurePulse LED lights on your device reflect onto the skin to detect blood volume changes and finely tuned algorithms are applied to measure heart rate automatically and continuously. The heart-rate icon you see on the display tells you if you're in 1 of 3 heart-rate zones.

 

Resting heart rate refers to the heart rate measured when you’re awake, calm, comfortable, and have not recently exerted yourself. We use your heart rate data from when you’re awake and asleep to estimate your resting heart rate. For best accuracy, wear your device to sleep. 

Your resting heart rate is usually higher than your heart rate while you are asleep, so don’t be surprised if your resting heart rate is higher than the lowest number that you see in your heart rate graphs.

 

Your tracker can have difficulty finding a signal, typically due to the tracker's fit. For example, wearing your band tightly may constrict blood flow in your wrist and affect the signal. We recommend experimenting with how high you place the tracker on your wrist. When you're not exercising, wearing the tracker just above the wrist bone--as you would a watch--typically works fine. However, moving the tracker up a couple inches can be helpful during high-intensity exercises or exercises that cause you to bend your wrist frequently. If you haven't already done so, please review our recommendations for wear and other tips shared by @SantiFitbit

 

Note that on Fitbit Ionic, the heart-rate value appears gray if your watch is searching for a stronger reading.
 

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Occasionally your device may have difficulty getting a strong signal. If you don't see your heart rate on your device, first make sure you are wearing it correctly. After a short wait, you should see your correct heart rate again. On Ionic, make sure the Heart Rate setting is On. For additional troubleshooting, see Why don't I see my heart rate on my Fitbit device?
 
Also, in a general context (not only talking about the heart rate), I was wondering if you're comparing your Fitbit Ionic and the Treadmill machine? The calorie burn on your tracker will be a lot more accurate than the treadmill. The Treadmill uses an "average" calorie burn based on the speed, incline, and time.  The Fitbit uses your profile information for age, height, weight, and sex, plus the heart rate during exercise to calculate calorie burn.

 

Were you holding onto the treadmill side rails?  If so, the tracker cannot detect your number of steps since your arm is not moving.  If you walk with a normal arm swing on the treadmill, it should count the proper number of steps and calories. 

 

Also, remember that if you are using the Treadmill exercise mode on the Fitbit it will use the Walking Stride Length and not the Running Stride Length for calculating distance from the number of steps.  This will cause the distance to be off substantially. So, if you are running on the treadmill, it is better to use the Run exercise mode, assuming you have correctly set up the stride lengths for Walk and Run.  But, it is important that your arms swing freely in order for the Fitbit to count steps, and not held next to the body.

 

Try the recommendations and let me know the outcome! 

Maria | Community Moderator, Fitbit


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I don't have problems while running or so on.

 

If there is no signal or low signal strength, why we don't get a message???

 

It makes no sense where I have the Ionic on the hand!

 

I assume low-budget sensors.

Hopefully not!!!

 

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The issue I have is the dramatic increase in heart rate compared to the inbuilt HR Monitors on the treadmill and my Polar M400 with H7 Monitor. My Ionic is way out, by at least 30 bpm. At one point it was 200 bpm. I'm no cardiologist but I think I'd be dead if that was accurate. 

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Hi,

you should report that to Fitbit and ask for help and solution.

 

Regards,

Mark

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