Heart Rate Monitor Questions.

[golddustmommy]

My first question is what is the peak heart rate this thing can read?

Second: at one point when working out I saw on the fitbit itself my heart rate was in the 170s (can't remember the exact number at the moment), but when I went online, the log showed it only went up to 158. Why would the band show one heart rate, and the log shows a much lower one?

Third: Today when I was doing my workout, I went to check my heart rate and it was a flatline - like it is when it's not on my wrist - but after I had slowed down some, it showed a rate in the high 150s....

So basically, does this thing count anything over 159? And if not, what the hell is the point??

[rfc1995]

no point.  it basically doesn't work right

[tennisismygame]

I have exactly the same problem as soon as my heart rate gets up over 140 or so though the respin monitor doesn't show it and it doesn't record that I am involved in activity After the first experience I came back and read that I needed to have the band a pirate my wrist and looser so I did that I moved it up three finger whips and I loosened it up but not so loose and it is the same problem . Exactly to your point if it doesn't record over 140 or 150 what is the use. Can someone help us out with this problem?

[golddustmommy]

I have tried having it loose enough so that it is 3 fingers above my wrist, but then it slips and slides everywhere because it's so so farking loose. And if this is the problem, then I basically wasted $140 on something that wont work for me because my arms get fatter as they go up... because I'm fat.... you would think this wouldn't be an issue since these things are made for people trying to get fit.... meaning they are probably fat....

[Julia_G]

Hi, all, the Fitbit should not be so loose that it moves about along your wrist or arm.  I would say if it is flopping around you need to tighten it.  When I want to wear mine higher on my arm I place it where I want to wear it and then tighten it there until it stays in place.  Maybe try experimenting with the best placement for you.

The Fitbit heartrate monitor can read any numbers your heart can pump at!  It was recently re-tested by Consumer Reports who continue to recommend its heartrate monitor technology, because of the high degree of accuracy.  You might want to have a look at the Consumer Reports article here: http://www.consumerreports.org/fitness-trackers/taking-the-pulse-of-fitbits-contested-heart-rate-mon...

[golddustmommy]

I understand it is not supposed to move around, but the way my arm is shaped, if I keep it above the wrist bone where it is supposed to be when I am exercising, it slips toward my hand because where it is supposed to be is larger than everything below it. If I tighten it to the point where it doesn't move, it is uncomfortible and leaves marks.

And I don't really care what Consumer Reports says when my personal experience shows that it flatlines at anything above 160 (and today above 150), and always logs at least 10 bpm lower than it showed on the screen when my heart rate was high. If my wrist says 172 and it logged 158 as my highest heart rate, there is an issue. If I am exercising and I can feel my heart rate is high, and I go to look at it and there is nothing but two lines and a flashing heart (as if it is not on me at all), there is an issue.

[Julia_G]

Apologies @golddustmommy ! I was not meaning to dismiss your issues; I was simply addressing the implication that the technology is basically rubbish -- which it is not. The evidence is that it is pretty good, actually, and works remarkably well. Of course it may not work for every ondividual, and that is the question here: is it not working for you because of your individual circumstances, activities etc, or is your device in some way malfunctioning? That is a little difficult to determine.

The issue of heartrate dropping out during some exercises has been reported by a number of people (so it shows the two lines and flashing heart). This is most commonly exercises that involve a lot of wrist bending (like weights or rowing machines). The usual advice you have already tried -- to wear it higher on the wrist. In most cases keeping your wrist steady for a few moments will bring the heart rate detection back. But the bottom line is that the device does work better for some activities than others. This is true for all wrist worn trackers. You will probably still get most consistent results from a chest strap, but no one really wants to wear one of those all day long!

I think one of the best things about the Fitbits with HR technology is that you get an all day view of your heartrate -- including resting HR, which is a very important measure of fitness.

I am sure you have already found this information, but I thought I would just draw attention to readers of this thread to the heartrate FAQs which might help with some issues: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/Heart-rate-FAQs

[HybridHayley]

I am also experiencing this on my runs. The tracker is flat against my wrist, its 3 fingers up and I dont have any play in my wrist. 

But from my records, it seems to be getting worst. I am loosing large chucks of data from my HR.

Whats odd, is that I will hit my run half way through and obviously my heart rate is above 140 and I cant get a manual reading until I slow down and stop. But in the time between running and getting back my heart rate, is it actually recording.

I would like to test this out more and at what point the HR stops detecting.

[cvearl]

I did some crossfit yesterday. UFC Fit which is kind of like P90x. I checked between each excersize and it was within 5 beats of my Samsung S6 sensor and my manual wrist measurement. A few times it was flatlined. When flatlined, it took 20 seconds to get a read again. But I am OK with that. Some people need more accuracy and I think they need a chest strap. Oddly it works best for me 1 finger above the wrist bone and tight when excersizing hard. During the day I listen it one notch.

For those that loose readings over extended periods or difficulties over 150 bmp, I wager there is some physiological difference for them versus people like me where it works mostly. Which is too bad as its such a great device when it works right.

Wrist based will never equal a polar chest strap ever. I knew that going in. 

Charles.

[SunsetRunner]

Hello everyone! A firmware update for the Charge HR had been released and I noticed that this thread started a couple of months ago. If you got the update, could you tell me if you continue to have issues with the heart rate reading? If you haven't updated you can follow these instructions to complete the process.

Looking forward to your new comments.

[kalimm]

1) The max that I've seen is around 192. I frequently double check these numbers during and immediately after my workout - both by manual checking HR and by using treadmill/bike sensors - so I'm fairly certain I have accurate readings. Graphs from some of my higher heart rate workouts are shown below. Especially in the first image, you can see that my heart rate was above 175 for the better part of 20 minutes or so. 

2) How many times has this happened? If it was just once that you remember a higher HR than what your logs show, there could be many different factors that caused that. It's also possible that your HR only jumped to the 170s for a few seconds then went back down. That big of change in a short period of time during high intensity workouts could be missed.

3) Make sure that you're wiping your HR sensor off after every workout. I typically get a damp rag and do a quick wipe down, then dry it off every day. When I first got my Fitbit I went about a week without trying to clean it at all and after a few days, my sensor showed a flat line every so often too. After cleaning it once, it worked nearly perfect. The only time I have issues now is if I sweat a lot more than normal. I keep a towel on hand during my workout and just run it between my Fitbit and wrist if I'm ever unable to get a HR. And same as @cvearl, I wear mine about 1 finger above the wrist bone 24/7, whether I'm working out or doing day to day activities. It seems to work well for me right there.

Edit: Forgot to attach the graphs 🙂

[HybridHayley]

Take a look at this.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-HR/Loosing-Heart-Rate-mid-exercise/m-p/1248646#M109955

[HybridHayley]

This run was on the 14th of march with the new update.

Its a tad better but still a bit flat at times.

[kalimm]

@HybridHayley Were you running during that entire workout or did you slow down/stop for a bit in the middle?

[HybridHayley]

There is an interval stop right in the middle in which part way through my heart rate does a sudden drop.

[rfc1995]

I get the same thing and have posted about it. It's better than before, but I always have gaps

[EileenCat]

Hello Fitbit Community,

It looks like this problem has been around for more than a year!  I spent $289 on a Fitbit Ionic.  When I workout, my heart rate on my watch says in the 150's.  I know 100% it was in the high 140's for more than a few minutes.

I synced my watch to my iPhone and Computer and it says my highest heart rate today was 142!  This is NOT acceptable.  Can someone please tell me if there is a way to fix this?

Eileen

[annlar20]

Almost a year since i got my charge 2 HR and  everytime I jog and i constantly have to wiggle it on my wrist because as soon as i get a little ''sweaty'', it loose my HR. Also these always a difference between date on the fitbit and the log in the app.

I was thrilled at first but now, since i'm pregnant, HR is something i watch more carefully when i run.

Last week while running I was at 138, my fitbit lost it for about 30 secs (what seemed an eternity) and when it came back on BOOM 163.

I keep in clean, i remove all the gunk from the sensor but always the same. And one side of the wrist band broke 2 weeks ago, had to buy one on amazon and its way better than the original.

[GrammaTweeter]

I am tracking this thread bec my InspireHR displays10 or more beats higher on my wrist device than what is reported on the App Heart Rate chart. What gives?