Heart rate tracking is not consistent

[kezzw]

Hey guys,

I use a Versa with an iPhone XS Max and I've noticed recently that my heart rate tracking is wildly inconsistent between my active minutes tracking, my daily tracking and what actually appears on my watch. For example, when I played squash the other day, I looked at my watch to check my heart rate a couple of times and it was showing as being in the mid-high 130s, which is pretty standard for me during squash. However, when I looked at my heart rate graph for the exercise Fitbit automatically logged for me, it showed my peak heart rate as being in the low 120s, and then when I checked my heart rate graph for the whole day, it showed my heart rate as having never gone higher than 111. Now that I look back at my history for the last month or so, I've noticed that this has been happening fairly regularly. What could be causing these discrepancies? Has anyone else had this issue? Would appreciate any insight! Cheers!

[MrMarv]

@kezzw -

Keep in mind that when you are looking at a graph, whether on your phone or on the Web Dashboard, you are looking at a 5-minute average.

If your activity generates an exercise record, you may be able to get the granularity down to 2 or 3 seconds.

Case in point - my morning treadmill session - see the spike 7:51 into the exercise at 151 bpm?

Now look at the same time in the web dashboard (it is the same on my phone):

Two-second average against 5-minute average. HUGE difference.

I hope this helps.

Welcome to the boards.

[Methisguy]

I am on my third and last Fitbit. You just have to be ok with them just generally correct some of the time. I can go on the same run at my same pace and Fitbit always logs my heart rate very differently day to day. You need to get a chest strap and maybe look at Garmin for a better or more reliable heart rate monitor. 

[MrMarv]

@Methisguy -

I have had 5 FitBit devices since Christmas of 2014 and used my last on January 6th after using it in parallel for two days with my Apple Watch Series 6. 

With my Versa 2 - results shown in my post that is one back from yours, it was habitually reporting 10 to 15 bpm higher than actual during treadmill sessions and sometimes 60 bpm higher. In the graph where I show the 151 bpm peak and an average of 124, my actual heart rate taken manually was 96 bpm, a difference of either 55 or 28, take your pick. Either way, intolerable. In another post I have documented a five-minute sustained reporting of over 140 bpm peaking at 156 (which is virtually impossible with the medications I am taking and my implanted defibrillator didn't kick in) when a manual measurement and pulse oximeter reading showed high 90s. And yet, another day, the Versa 2 would vary less than 10 bpm for the whole hour I'm on the treadmill.

I am not thrilled with Apple Health and the Fitness app and it is a bit of a "culture shock" getting used to their terminology, but the Series 6 watch is pretty much bang on when it comes to heart rate when exercising. I have been auditing the bpm during my two-a-day treadmill sessions since I got it on January 4th and have had no issues. It is never off more than 2 bpm and is reporting realtime whereas I am averaging over a 15 second period (the ol' count for 15 seconds and times it by four routine my Mama taught me).

Finally, a device that I can hang my viral damaged heart health on!!!

I have often acted the FitBit cheerleader but at the same time voiced my despair over what could be the premier combination of fitness device and application on the market.

It's a shame that FitBit has let their customers down.