Can inaccurate HR readings can be person-specific?

amaczu

Or am I just a freak of nature/shouldn't be alive?

So I just 'inherited' a like-new, barely-used Charge 2 from a family member today. I've been wanting one for a while mostly to measure HR when I exercise, because I use the built-in HR monitors on the ellipticals and treadmills at the gym and get hilariously high measurements in the neighborhood of 180bpm when I'm doing really half-*kitten* workouts. I usually run at a leisurely 4mph for 30 mins and call it a day--I wouldn't say I work particularly hard at the gym--I put in my time so I don't feel like a total sack of crap, but that's about it. I can actually run for about an hour at this pace fairly easily but I don't, because it's boring. I'm 30 years old, 5'2" and 130 lbs (and not really fit at all, desk job, etc.), and no matter if I'm coming back to the gym after a few months break or I'm 6 months into a regular cardio routine I'd always check my HR on the machine for a lark and get the 180bpm+ measurements and I never feel like I'm particularly exerting myself. I've been going to the same gym, same machines, on and off for about 5 years now and only just decided that maybe I should get something better to log my HR.

So I slap this sucker on and the first thing I notice is that my resting heart rate is between 80 and 90 bpm. I tried shifting it around, having the bezel against the inside of my wrist, no change. Walking around slowly (like...around my kitchen) raises my HR to 100-110. I go to the gym tonight and lo and behold, my HR peaked around 180 bpm for 15 mins of my 30 min workout. I poke around on google like the responsible adult that I am and all signs point toward 'you should be concerned'. However since I've been literally doing this kind of exercise for years to no deleterious effect, and since the fitbit is giving be basically exactly the same readings as the much maligned built in HR monitors on the treadmills, I guess I shouldn't be surprised? Should I just take this in stride and judge my HR measurements as being relative to the fact that my resting heart rate is higher than most normal people? Is that common? Should I be doing something differently with my device?


(want to point out I get yearly wellness exams and have my bp taken a few times a year. my pressure is always in healthy range, my cholesterol in healthy range and my HDL is like strangely good for someone who sits on their butt as much as I do--consistently 70-80, so this HR stuff is really the only concerning thing about my cardiovascular health)

heybales

Those machine HR monitors are using the better method actually - electrical readings. Exactly the same as the chest strap method, they may miss a few beats because of hand slippage.
But static electricity can fool both of them.
Like if you have ploy clothes, some lose and rubbing - you can spike the HR by some 10-20 bpm easily, and unless you stop the static and notice lower readings - you'd probably never notice.
And with 2 hands on the machine - may not be able to stop clothes from moving to tell.
Fan on you can make it worse too.

So those may be actually good readings. Especially if confirmed by the Fitbit. Though interestingly enough, most people fail to have the Fitbit keep accuracy as the HR goes higher, for most it loses it.

But, have you like, actually tried doing the old fashioned but accurate method?
Fingers to wrist or neck and count?

That obviously can be used to confirm resting, but also walking, and even the running if you stop and count for 15 sec immediately. If actually around 45 beats counted - you know it's right.

I'd confirm.

Are you on any meds that have side effect of increased HR? Or massive amounts of caffeine daily?
That would tend to effect the resting more than the exercise HR, but still.

If it's totally accurate readings - then you may have a combo of things.
You may have a smaller than average heart, and so it's a Honda heart, able to rev higher than the out-of-date 220-age=HRmax formula would give. So instead of around say 190, it's 200 or 205.

So your 180 is only 87% of HRmax.

That's still rather high % of HRmax though, and should have some massive breathing going on with it.

And/or you are in really great fitness shape, and able to run that high HR, not be that far out of breath. Genetics could play into that.

macchiatto

Very interesting! I agree I'd definitely compare it against the old-fashioned method heybales mentioned. Let us know what you find out b/c I'm curious now! I'd also mention it to your dr in case they want to do a treadmill test or something. (My husband and I both see a cardiologist for totally different reasons and have both had those done a couple times.) I'm on a medication that does seem to affect my heart rate a bit (in the opposite direction) so that's definitely a good question, too.

I also didn't realize the machine HR monitors were that accurate! Good to know. I should start comparing them against my Charge 2 just to see.

amaczu

Thanks, guys!!

heybales wrote: »

Those machine HR monitors are using the better method actually - electrical readings. Exactly the same as the chest strap method, they may miss a few beats because of hand slippage.
But static electricity can fool both of them.
Like if you have ploy clothes, some lose and rubbing - you can spike the HR by some 10-20 bpm easily, and unless you stop the static and notice lower readings - you'd probably never notice.
And with 2 hands on the machine - may not be able to stop clothes from moving to tell.
Fan on you can make it worse too.

So those may be actually good readings. Especially if confirmed by the Fitbit. Though interestingly enough, most people fail to have the Fitbit keep accuracy as the HR goes higher, for most it loses it.

That's so interesting! I'd always heard that the built in HRMs were horrible and that I should totally get a FitBit, hah!

But, have you like, actually tried doing the old fashioned but accurate method?
Fingers to wrist or neck and count?

That obviously can be used to confirm resting, but also walking, and even the running if you stop and count for 15 sec immediately. If actually around 45 beats counted - you know it's right.

I'd confirm.

I have, but I don't trust it that much because of some reasons that probably sound a little crazy...I actually have a pretty ridiculous case of BII phobia that I'm dealing with due to some hospital trauma that I went through as a kid and has just snowballed in the past 5 years. It's completely subconscious, I don't actually fear anything medical from a conscious, rational-thought perspective, but my body (specifically my heart) just nopes right on out of anything remotely dealing with it. I can look at visual blood and gore outside the body, but seeing (depictions of), hearing/talking, even THINKING about certain medical things and I get, dizzy and sometimes even faint. Feeling my own pulse deliberately is one of the triggers. I often have to get my BP checked a few times per doctor visit to get a good reading because I have to distract myself so my BP doesn't drop into 'you need to be put on oxygen' levels. Naturally, I have no desire to faint while on a treadmill, but the other day I did try counting my neck pulse over 10 seconds (intending to multiply by 6), but came up with something like 300bpm which isn't right, and if I'd counted the double beat thatd still only give me like 150bpm which seemed a little low for what I was doing, and I didn't try again. So since my body in its obnoxious way actively fights my attempts to be health-conscious, this is another avenue for me to try and get around it!

(edited to add that the phobia interestingly isn't the cause of my increased heart rate, its the only type of phobia that actually decreases your heart rate, your blood pressure, and leads to fainting)

Are you on any meds that have side effect of increased HR? Or massive amounts of caffeine daily?
That would tend to effect the resting more than the exercise HR, but still.

nah.

If it's totally accurate readings - then you may have a combo of things.
You may have a smaller than average heart, and so it's a Honda heart, able to rev higher than the out-of-date 220-age=HRmax formula would give. So instead of around say 190, it's 200 or 205.

So your 180 is only 87% of HRmax.

That's still rather high % of HRmax though, and should have some massive breathing going on with it.

And/or you are in really great fitness shape, and able to run that high HR, not be that far out of breath. Genetics could play into that.

I do measure and time my breaths, but mostly to avoid cramping. The only other weird thing is that I sweat, a LOT. I have ALWAYS sweat massively more than any female that I've ever met. Doing light cardio I look like a slippery pink dolphin. I did martial arts for several years (this was about 10 years ago) and even at my peak fitness I always just sweat like crazy. That being said I am most certainly not in what I'd call 'great fitness shape' right now, definitely a little overweight/overfat, LOL. That being said, I also don't feel like I'm dying when I work out.

I might bring it up to my doctor, it just seems like a moot point because this has been going on for literally 5 years since I first tried measuring my heart rate on the machines. Few years ago I even did interval training with burpees and although i stopped (because at this point i am no longer insane enough to put myself through that level of discomfort), i didn't die, haha. I don't know how much it'd cost to do a full EKG analysis in the US but my gut says it's expensive for someone who's not actually suffering! I figured I'd just check here to see if someone was like 'oh man, this happened to me and it turns out i caught heartworm from my dog' or something insane.

heybales

People can be in great fitness shape (high VO2max) and be overweight.
Just means if you lose the weight and keep the fitness level, the VO2 automatically goes up (it's per kg of weight).

High HR and not a high breathing rate would indicate that. You have at least good lung capacity, perhaps better than needed for fitness level. That could be genetics there too.

Sweating just means muscle generating a lot of heat, and body is ready to cool it down. May even be trained enough, and I'm betting that now, it starts before it even needs to, in preparation for getting hot.

Check your hospital that deals with heart issues.
They have the equipment and personnel sitting around to be used for patients that require getting tested.

So most open up to the public to come and get a VO2max / HRmax test - and will of course look for any heart issues as they push you to whatever limit you care to go.

Here it costs $60 in KC, MO hospital. Bike or treadmill can be used - takes about 20 min.
Dr reviews the results, immediately if not with patients right then.