Wrong heart rate

[unccstar]

Hello all

i know that this might have been answered several times in the forum, but would love some feedback to help me with my anxiety.

i have cardiophobia and have been using a Fitbit to track HR and make myself feel better, but more recently I see that the charge HR heart rate is consistently 10-15 BPM above the measured value( manual measurement). Is this something you have seen before? Is it a common problem? Would love some help.

[MarlenS]

@unccstar let me give you a warm welcome to our Community. Well, actually the Led lights and the sensor are pretty accurate, I recommend checking this article for a better understanding of the heart rate feature. For the inconvenience of the high reading I recommend checking that all the personal information set in your account is accurate, then toggle this feature following these steps, restart the Charge HR and check the information posted by my friend @FerdinandFitbit about the proper placement of the Fitbit wristbands.

Hope this answers you inquiry, I'll be around. 

[SunsetRunner]

This is normal.  My Charge 2 runs 20 bpm high when I am not active and as much as 60 bpm low when I am active.  The more active I am, the lower the bpm goes.  Doesn't make sense.  Wish it could be fixed.

[MarlenS]

Hey @SunsetRunner, nice to see you in this thread. 

Actually this is not normal, have you tried the steps I posted above to fix this inconvenience? If so, and it's still giving you inaccurate readings please let me know so I can check on this further.

I'll be waiting your reply.

[SunsetRunner]

Yes, several times.  The Charge 2 always reads lower than other devices.  If it is not normal, then my replacement Charge 2 is not functioning as intended.

[MarlenS]

Hello again my friend @SunsetRunner. I've been in touch with our Support Team about this inconvenience with your Charge 2, please check the inbox of the email address you used to create the Community account.

Let me know if you have further questions. 

[SunsetRunner]

@MarlenS

I have updated the device.  The last log in date is for an old account, I use a different account for the Fitbit Charge 2

It does not report accurately when being active.  I have tried everything that was suggested and even sent it back for a trade-out.  The device still behaves this way.  I do not know what other to do to make it work as intended.

[MarlenS]

Aloha @SunsetRunner, hope you're enjoying some healthy activities. Thank you for sharing this information and also for trying all the troubleshooting suggested to fix this issue, as I've mentioned above, our support team is going to continue with this process via email so you can have more information to get you back on track.

If you have time please check our Discussions board where you will find other members sharing their experiences and tips for an active lifestyle.

Catch you later. 

[cajunblazer]

 You can’t restart a Versa with this method since the charging device covers the button. 

[Cmwodaat]

I have been having the same exact problem. When I am at 160-180 bpm at high intensity sometimes it rates me under 100! It is so blatantly wrong and I’ve followed all of the suggestions but nothing seems to work. Going to have to spring for a better sports watch. You’d think at $100+ it would at least function. Not so...

[lbox]

I have been experiencing similar problems with my Fitbit Charge 2 since about 2 weeks. It shows a much lower heartrate than before with my usual (regular) physical activities such as cycling. Sometimes the heartrate is gone completely (just shows 2 dashes).

I have reset the fitbit, but the problem remains. This of course also has its effects on the calories burned that the fitbit shows as this is linked to the heartrate.

Any tips anyone ?

[redbrickmatt]

I think the heart rate reader is a bit of a gimmick, unfortunately. Mine will sometimes be in line with my pace rather than heart rate. If I run on the spot it will show 150bpm but when measured manually my heart rate will actually be around 90bpm. Use it for other features but definitely not heart rate.

[SunsetRunner]

Same here. Very random heart rate readings

[BAHO]

I checked heart rate from my Fitbit HR in 2015 vs Garmin strap. Fitbit did not seem to be able to capture rapid variation of high intensity exercise (See the image below). Pulse meter confirmed data from Garmin.  Planning to repeat the test with charge 3, stay tune.

[Xiezz]

I've recently bought a heart strap monitor because of this issue. I find the charge 2 unreliable when sweat is involved. Happens a lot on the exercise bike. I've actually watched the heart rate go down while doing heavy sessions, or worse, be half way through a session and check it to find out its not even reading the heart rate. Constantly having to move the tracker to wipe sweat away, or take it off to clean the sensors is frustrating to say the least. Oddly enough this fitness tracker is a detriment to my workout rather than a benefit. 

[SunsetRunner]

I’ve been looking at HR monitors as well. What brand/model did you go with?

Thx!

Sent from my iPhone

[BAHO]

@SunsetRunner: I already own Garmin watch which works well for me, so if i need reliable heart rate measurement my personal choice is Garmin chest strap.

[Xiezz]

I bought the cheapest one I could find on ebay, which at the time was a MyZone MZ1 for $60 AUD brand new. Hopefully it will arrive this week. I will have to manually log the spinning session into the fitbit app though, but at least the readings will be accurate now.

[SunsetRunner]

👍

Sent from my iPhone

[cajunblazer]

It turned out that when I made this post some time ago I had atrial
fibrillation or A-fib. It is a heart defect where stray electrical signals
cause the upper chamber of the heart to beat out of rhythm with the lower
chamber. I am pretty sure that at that time my Fitbit was picking up the
beats of both the upper and lower chamber as a higher heart rate which I
assumed was a bad high reading.

I don't know if that is your problem as well, but you might want
be checked for it. A-fib causes a five times higher risk of strokes because
blood can pool in the heart from lack of movement and cause clots. Many
people have symptoms with A-fib, but I never did - maybe because I was in
pretty good shape. I found out about my condition quite by accident when I
went in to get colonopathy.

At a minimum people who have A-fib need to take blood thinners to prevent
clots. I had an ablation procedure which eliminated my A-fib problem
completely and now my Fitbit is correctly reading my pulse rate which has
dropped considerably.

I didn't mean to scare you – just reporting my experiences. This might not
apply to you at all. In my case my Fitbit wasn't wrong, I just had a
treatable heart condition and now everything is cool.

Best of luck!

Moderator edit: personal info removed