Fitbit Reported Heart Rates Are Way Too High

[Tarnish]

I’ve been using my Fitbit Luxe for 15 months. About a month ago, I noticed my heart rate and zone minutes had increased dramatically while I’m doing the same workouts I’ve always done. According to the Fitbit, my heart rate is spiking to 201 BPM during simple aerobics. A trip to the doctor — and subsequent echocardio stress test — revealed I’m fine (in fact, considerably above average for a 68-year-old woman). Consequently, I bought a Polar chest strap, Guess what? The Polar strap shows my heart rate at 30 to 50 BPM lower than the Fitbit Luxe during exercise, which matches the results of my stress test. I’m not sure what has happened to my Fitbit bit it is so far off on its heart rates that I laugh at it. I was talking to my cat this morning during my workout — without any effort — and I noticed my Fitbit said my heart was beating at 184 BPM. Simply not possible.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Tarnish, welcome to the community, It's a pity you have had this discomforting experience. You may find this article of interest How do I track heart rate with my Fitbit device? You mention a comparison with a Polar Chest band (you do not mention how you accessed the data or how it was sampled) which unlike the Optical wrist sensor in your Luxe uses an electrical sensor on your chest. My understanding is the optical sensor can never be as accurate or sensitive as a chest band.

In respect of chest bands, you may find these videos of interest Best Budget Heart Rate Monitor // Wahoo Tickr vs Polar H9 vs Garmin HRM-Dual - YouTube & Polar H10 vs H9 vs Verity Sense // Polar Heart Rate Monitor In-Depth Comparison - YouTube The point of these videos I guess is these are not medical instruments, results vary.

There are others in the community who know much more than I do about HR, they may drop by.

Cheers

[Tarnish]

Thank your for your response. (My frustration was at an all-time high last night and it shows in my post.)

I’m convinced something has run amok between the Fitbit technology and my wrist anatomy. I have very small bones, and I suspect I can’t get the kind of contact I need to improve the reporting, no matter how much I move it around or how tightly I strap it. I’ll probably continue to use the device as a step counter and as a motivational tool to keep me moving. I just remain a little broken hearted because I really did love my Fitbit for the first year.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Tarnish, thanks for the update, have you tried cleaning the back of your "Luxe"? If, as I do, you use a skin product it may need cleaning. I use rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl 70%). I assume you do not have a wrist tattoo or scar in the area you normally wear your "Luxe" as this would interfere with the optical sensor/LED readings.

You could also experiment by wearing your Luxe on your other wrist.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

[Tarnish]

I have cleaned it repeatedly, which hasn’t yet improved anything. I haven’t tried moving it to my other wrist, so I’ll give that a try. Thanks.