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Welcome to the Fitbit Community @csayers069! As with all heart-rate tracking technology, whether a chest strap or a wrist-based sensor, accuracy is affected by personal physiology, location of wear, and type of movement.
When you’re not exercising, wear your device a finger’s width below your wrist bone. Fitbit’s PurePulse heart-rate tracking system is designed to be most accurate when the device is worn on the top of your wrist.
For improved heart-rate accuracy keep these tips in mind:
- Experiment with wearing the device higher on your wrist during exercise for an improved fit and more accurate heart-rate reading. Many exercises such as bike riding or weight lifting cause you to bend your wrist frequently, which could interfere with the heart-rate signal if the watch is lower on your wrist.
- Make sure the device is in contact with your skin.
- Do not wear your device too tight; a tight band restricts blood flow, potentially affecting the heart-rate signal. That being said, the device should also be slightly tighter (snug but not constricting) during exercise than during all-day wear.
- With high-intensity interval training, P90X, boxing, or other activities where your wrist is moving vigorously and non-rhythmically, the movement may prevent the sensor from finding an accurate heart rate. Similarly, with exercises such as weight lifting or rowing, your wrist muscles may flex in such a way that the band tightens and loosens during exercise. Try relaxing your wrist and staying still briefly (about 10 seconds), after which you should see an accurate heart-rate reading. Note that your device will still provide accurate calorie burn readings during these types of exercise by analyzing your heart rate trends over the course of the workout.
Note that if you remove your device but it keeps moving, for example if you put it in a pocket or backpack, the device may display an incorrect heart-rate reading. To prevent this issue, turn off heart-rate tracking when the device is not in use. See below for instructions.
About the 50 steps you had upon waking up, this is due to Fitbit trackers may register movements or restlessness as steps when you're wearing it while you sleep. The number of steps typically measured during these periods is minimal, and should not offset your overall fitness progress. Any steps taken to and from other rooms during the night will also be tracked.
Keep in mind that it's possible to get different readings if the trackers are worn in different locations (dominant vs non-dominant wrist). I'd recommend reviewing the accuracy information provided in this post.
In regards to the return inquiry, since you've purchased from a retailer, you'll need to return your product directly to the retailer and follow their return and refund process. This information is generally printed on your receipt, though you may also find it on the retailer's website. Note that we're unable to influence retailer policies.
If there's any questions present, let me know.
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