How accurate is HRV?

[SunsetRunner]

How accurate is the HRV in the health metrics?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Solutiongirl]

Thanks for your response. Ya I have upgraded from the inspire (which is
what I had when I wrote this originally) However , I suspect that my HR is
not great..but not as low as it shows.
Currently with my Charge 5, my HRV goes from 11 up to 20 on the average.
😕 I am overweight, and just getting back to exercising. So, I am
challenged by it increasing , despite the probability of it being about 20
to 30 lower than it probably is.

[Shelly0872]

I have the charge 4

I’m
In my late 50s and exercising daily for the past 15 years

Sent from my iPhone

[Shelly0872]

From what ive read about Fitbit watches is they aren’t accurate
The Apple Watch is the most accurate

Sent from my iPhone

[Anguskirk]

I’m 81. My hrv is variable but averages around 40, not the ridiculously low values that many have reported

[Lifedancing1]

That's crazy! I'm 70 and mine is around 14 or 15! And I'm in great shape!
I've given up looking at it. Or at least caring..

[Tlinlo7don]

You have the same opinion as me, but in the back of my mind could it be
correct and what kind of weight does this hold for overall health. Mine is
very low for my age, but I'm still feeling good and am extremely active.

Thom

[Shelly0872]

Amen 🙏
It’s not accurate

Sent from my iPhone

[Lifedancing1]

>From what I've read, the Fitbit app takes HRV at a time in the middle of
the night that does not reflect an accurate measure. There's no way this is
accurate for me!

[Parkersspace]

I found my fitbit not so accurate at first but far more accurate as I learned to keep it in the correct placements for me and what I'm doing.  Also finding the perfect snugness on my wrist and height on my wrist mattered quite a bit along with having accurate weight/height in my fit bit app.  I have owned fit bit for years now, 4 different types and one of of the purchases was inaccurate and I returned it for a different model (the inspire when it first came out). So that said, this article study found it more accurate than apple so I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money to get an apple and waste my fitbit without trying some other suggestions for accuracy. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6107736/ }  And then there is also this article from lifewire that gives many suggestions on how to improve accuracy by placement and how it's worn  https://www.lifewire.com/how-accurate-is-fitbit-4775512#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20study%20on,plac....  Try a few of these things.

[Shelly0872]

Right 👍

Sent from my iPhone

[Wip2022]

I literally thought I was on my death bed after seeing my HRV and looking it up online. Sudden cardiac arrest and death based on my rate. Eeekk!!!! I have been a severe alcoholic for the last two years (currently sober 5 months) but I literally thought I had ruined myself beyond repair. I see doctors very regularly because I’m pregnant and also I damaged my body. I’m trying to get back on track. I’m relatively young so I can bounce back as long as i stay sober and work on my health per the doctor. So I was shocked to see this very bleak outcome. Was quite a relief to see it is generally inaccurate. I’ll talk to my Dr about it when I see them later this month though just to be safe. 

[Allen57]

I hope it's wrong mine is in the low 20 and my husband is much younger and fit and his will drop to 9 or 10.

I was worried until I read comments and researched. 

[Allen57]

I agree I even went to my cardiologist.

He said he doesn't want me to even look at the hrv from any wrist tracker.

So I was worried for nothing

[Shelly0872]

♥️♥️♥️

Sent from my iPhone

[Tlinlo7don]

Thanks, hope things are going well.

[zerocool6687]

I tip my hat to you for taking control. I was really bad myself. For years it kept escalating. November 28th 2021 was the day I decided to change. I used this tracker and other pieces of tech to help but like you, the HRV added to the anxiety. RHR was 69 (high for me), BP was over 145/95 and I weighed 214.8lb. I was 43 and felt like I was on a path to a short life. 

I stopped drinking… full disclosure I had an eggnog and Rum Friday putting up the tree… 2oz, for the first time in years I didn’t want more and felt fully in control. Other than that it’s the only drop since Nov 2021. BP is very good, in optimal shape… no drugs. I’m 166ish pounds, arguably best shape of my life. Despite all this my HRV stays between thirty to fifty on Fitbit. I’ve tested over 100 using other tech. With a RHR of 50 it almost seems implausible that it would be so low anyway. 

so I’ve started to use the FitBit as a baseline and that’s it. 

Point? Don’t let it stress you, stay strong and keep working on yourself. I’m cheering for you from the sidelines on your journey 

[Tlinlo7don]

Thanks and congratulations. Your accomplishments are something to be proud
of. I am still using my fitbit, while still looking at other brands. It
does create incentive that gets me off the couch. Eventually someone is
going to come up with something that works. When they do, I'll be in line
to purchase. It would be nice to have reliable data available during your
journey.

[Jaimew4]

Mine was 18 so they say last night. They should put out a statement that hrv is inaccurate 

[Tlinlo7don]

Have never heard anything from fitbit, not even a statement of how this
number is generated. Would be nice to see why they differ so much from
other vendors. They are probably busy defending some of their statistics.
If I get some clear understanding of the significance of this value and
it's importance to overall health, I will be tossing my fitbit.

[Allen57]

I agree.
I can't believe I trusted a wearable device. I am 65 it was taking me
everyday I was getting healthy.
7 weeks in and I am in a recliner with a torn foot tendon and a flare up of
osteoarthritis in a knee that I want aware had arthritis.
Since I have a400.00 smart watch I will glance at the fibit days and I
would not recommend. My doctor did not recommend and I bought one anyways