Heart rate monitor

2

Replies

  • qasim91
    qasim91 Posts: 25
    I've been thinking of getting one as well and considering the comments here, may go for a polar.
  • HSingMomto7Kids
    HSingMomto7Kids Posts: 345 Member
    I got mine at bodytronics.com made by Polar. Then check www.retailmenot.com for a coupon code. I searched for prices and this was the cheapest price I found for myself. Good Luck!! Love my HRM!!
  • gtreyger
    gtreyger Posts: 25
    Keep in mind that heart rate monitors are more accurate for pure cardio only burns, not so much anything else.

    People keep telling me that too so I sent an email to Polar and asked them if it was true. This is their response:

    Dear Jen,

    Thank you contacting Polar Customer Care, we apologize for the delayed response, Polar has received an influx of e-mails recently.

    Calories are calculated by heart rate data and user information (age, weight, height, gender). Therefore your calories would be accurate no matter how you were exercising.

    As long as the transmitter strap is wet, snug around your sternum and you are seeing accurate heart rate data on your watch, your watch will calculate your calories accurately.

    If you have any more questions or concerns please feel free to contact us directly using the link below. We have representatives available via Livechat, E-mail and our toll free line Monday-Friday 9am-5:15pm EST.

    http://www.polarusa.com/us-en

    Thank you for training with Polar!

    Katherine
    Polar Customer Care
    POLAR ELECTRO INC.
    thats nice and all, except it's blatantly not true. Once you understand how HRM's calculation works (hint oxygen/heartbeat) you see how things like anaerobic activity (hint: does not use oxygen) make your HRM completely useless for anything other than steady state cardio.

    Here's another hint: heart rate monitors do not measure oxygen. They measure the number of times the heart beats. Based on other pertinent data (weight, age, sex, height), it figures out APPROXIMATE number of calories burned per heart beat. Using simple multiplication, they multiply the number of heartbeats by the approximate number of calories burned per heart beat. Really, it is just that simple. It doesn't matter what exercise you're doing. As long as you have a heartbeat, you're burning calories. The higher your heartbeat, the higher the burn.
    Alright, my heart rate is all kinds of F-ed up. I'm currently waiting EKG and blood test results. My resting rate was over healthy peoples exercising rate. I assure you, I was getting fat and not a calorie burning machine. My heart rate went down with exercise, and I assure you I lost more weight when I exercised. I could be sleeping and my hr could be through the roof. It is not equivalent when sweating my *kitten* off at the gym, even though my heart rate could be lower then when I'm lying down sometimes. Heart rate does not equal a particular calorie burn. It all depends on what you're doing. Sleeping does not equal running from zombies and I've had the same heart rate while playing zombie run as I've had just waking up.
    You gained weight because you ate more calories than you burned. You lost weight because you ate less calories than you burned. Weight loss happens in the kitchen, fitness happens in the gym. You don't have to take my word for it! Feel free to do your own research or experiments! I'm just trying to save you some time. And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm. The problem is that if your resting HR is 110, there is no way in hell you'll be on a treadmill, with 110 bpm. Apples to apples, oranges to oranges.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Keep in mind that heart rate monitors are more accurate for pure cardio only burns, not so much anything else.

    People keep telling me that too so I sent an email to Polar and asked them if it was true. This is their response:

    Dear Jen,

    Thank you contacting Polar Customer Care, we apologize for the delayed response, Polar has received an influx of e-mails recently.

    Calories are calculated by heart rate data and user information (age, weight, height, gender). Therefore your calories would be accurate no matter how you were exercising.

    As long as the transmitter strap is wet, snug around your sternum and you are seeing accurate heart rate data on your watch, your watch will calculate your calories accurately.

    If you have any more questions or concerns please feel free to contact us directly using the link below. We have representatives available via Livechat, E-mail and our toll free line Monday-Friday 9am-5:15pm EST.

    http://www.polarusa.com/us-en

    Thank you for training with Polar!

    Katherine
    Polar Customer Care
    POLAR ELECTRO INC.
    thats nice and all, except it's blatantly not true. Once you understand how HRM's calculation works (hint oxygen/heartbeat) you see how things like anaerobic activity (hint: does not use oxygen) make your HRM completely useless for anything other than steady state cardio.

    Here's another hint: heart rate monitors do not measure oxygen. They measure the number of times the heart beats. Based on other pertinent data (weight, age, sex, height), it figures out APPROXIMATE number of calories burned per heart beat. Using simple multiplication, they multiply the number of heartbeats by the approximate number of calories burned per heart beat. Really, it is just that simple. It doesn't matter what exercise you're doing. As long as you have a heartbeat, you're burning calories. The higher your heartbeat, the higher the burn.
    Alright, my heart rate is all kinds of F-ed up. I'm currently waiting EKG and blood test results. My resting rate was over healthy peoples exercising rate. I assure you, I was getting fat and not a calorie burning machine. My heart rate went down with exercise, and I assure you I lost more weight when I exercised. I could be sleeping and my hr could be through the roof. It is not equivalent when sweating my *kitten* off at the gym, even though my heart rate could be lower then when I'm lying down sometimes. Heart rate does not equal a particular calorie burn. It all depends on what you're doing. Sleeping does not equal running from zombies and I've had the same heart rate while playing zombie run as I've had just waking up.
    You gained weight because you ate more calories than you burned. You lost weight because you ate less calories than you burned. Weight loss happens in the kitchen, fitness happens in the gym. You don't have to take my word for it! Feel free to do your own research or experiments! I'm just trying to save you some time. And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm. The problem is that if your resting HR is 110, there is no way in hell you'll be on a treadmill, with 110 bpm. Apples to apples, oranges to oranges.
    Well, at least you're getting some parts right lol. you're right that I was eating more then I burned. And I have no idea where you came up with the 250lb number.... And yes, there's many ways in hell to have the same heart rate. Welcome to my world. My hr spikes unexpectedly at weird times and stays there for long periods. Then other times it can be half normal and I can jump on the treadmill and run along happily putting my HR up to what it was earlier. Anyhow, if I were to use a heart rate calorie counter such as the below and punch in my heart rate I should have been burning about 8000 calories a day...yeah....no. At 120lbs...yeah...no, I was not eating that much.

    http://www.calories-calculator.net/Calories_Burned_By_Heart_Rate.html
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm

    This is absolutely 100% untrue.
  • CarmenSandiegoInVA
    CarmenSandiegoInVA Posts: 235 Member
    I use a Polar FT4. It's pretty good. Though I think I've graduated to a more professional one. I train really hard. But, it's a great consumer grade heart rate monitor.
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    agreed. you have a severe misunderstanding on how caloeies are burned. muscles being used is what burns calories. not your heart.
    And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm

    This is absolutely 100% untrue.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    In to learn more. I plan to buy a HRM later this month.
  • gtreyger
    gtreyger Posts: 25
    agreed. you have a severe misunderstanding on how caloeies are burned. muscles being used is what burns calories. not your heart.
    And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm

    This is absolutely 100% untrue.
    Do you know that if you use your muscles, your heart rate will go up? HR is just a measurement of your exertion. If you're sleeping, and your HR is 110, you will not be walking with 110 bpm. It will be higher. Because you're exerting yourself more. And using your muscles.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    agreed. you have a severe misunderstanding on how caloeies are burned. muscles being used is what burns calories. not your heart.
    And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm

    This is absolutely 100% untrue.
    Do you know that if you use your muscles, your heart rate will go up? HR is just a measurement of your exertion. If you're sleeping, and your HR is 110, you will not be walking with 110 bpm. It will be higher. Because you're exerting yourself more. And using your muscles.

    HR is not a measurement of your exertion. HR is affected by many factors totally unrelated to actual metabolism.
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    agreed. you have a severe misunderstanding on how caloeies are burned. muscles being used is what burns calories. not your heart.
    And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm

    This is absolutely 100% untrue.
    Do you know that if you use your muscles, your heart rate will go up? HR is just a measurement of your exertion. If you're sleeping, and your HR is 110, you will not be walking with 110 bpm. It will be higher. Because you're exerting yourself more. And using your muscles.
    your heartrate is NOT a sole indicator of exertion.

    To elxplain it like you're 5. There are 4 energy systems in the body. only 1 is exertion correlated to heartrate (the cardio system). this is because when your muscle do work, the energy to do this work comes from a mixture of carbs/fat in the body combined with oxygen to make atp. The oxygen is from the air you breath transported in the bloodstream by the heart. So the more your muscles do work, the more oxygen is required, thus the harder the heart beats to provide it.

    Ok great. Makes sense so far. Now what about when you're scared, or sit in a sauna? Your heartrate will increase. But your muscles are NOT doing more work. Remember, your muscles doing work burns calories. So in this case, an increased heartrate has ZERO correlation to an increase in calories burned.

    Time for example 2. You're weight lifting. Now we're using anaerobic energy systems. Here's the important part about them. They do NOT use oxygen to make the muscles to do work. Reread that if you must. They do NOT use oxygen. They instead use stored fuel from carbs directly to make atp. So your heartrate could be 60, could be 160. Doesn't matter. The work being performed is not impacted by heartrate. (this is also why people are dumb for focusing on things like keeping heatrate elevated by doing cardio in between sets. Simply don't. if you're lifting heavy, then do it for lifting heavy and training those energy systems and muscle types and don't worry about your heartrate when it's not an indicator of anything for the work you are performing. Save the cardio for cardio.)
  • barbaratrollman
    barbaratrollman Posts: 317 Member
    To elxplain it like you're 5. There are 4 energy systems in the body. only 1 is exertion correlated to heartrate (the cardio system). this is because when your muscle do work, the energy to do this work comes from a mixture of carbs/fat in the body combined with oxygen to make atp. The oxygen is from the air you breath transported in the bloodstream by the heart. So the more your muscles do work, the more oxygen is required, thus the harder the heart beats to provide it.

    Ok great. Makes sense so far. Now what about when you're scared, or sit in a sauna? Your heartrate will increase. But your muscles are NOT doing more work. Remember, your muscles doing work burns calories. So in this case, an increased heartrate has ZERO correlation to an increase in calories burned.

    Time for example 2. You're weight lifting. Now we're using anaerobic energy systems. Here's the important part about them. They do NOT use oxygen to make the muscles to do work. Reread that if you must. They do NOT use oxygen. They instead use stored fuel from carbs directly to make atp. So your heartrate could be 60, could be 160. Doesn't matter. The work being performed is not impacted by heartrate. (this is also why people are dumb for focusing on things like keeping heatrate elevated by doing cardio in between sets. Simply don't. if you're lifting heavy, then do it for lifting heavy and training those energy systems and muscle types and don't worry about your heartrate when it's not an indicator of anything for the work you are performing. Save the cardio for cardio.)

    Really? You'd explain *this* to a 5-year old?
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    To elxplain it like you're 5. There are 4 energy systems in the body. only 1 is exertion correlated to heartrate (the cardio system). this is because when your muscle do work, the energy to do this work comes from a mixture of carbs/fat in the body combined with oxygen to make atp. The oxygen is from the air you breath transported in the bloodstream by the heart. So the more your muscles do work, the more oxygen is required, thus the harder the heart beats to provide it.

    Ok great. Makes sense so far. Now what about when you're scared, or sit in a sauna? Your heartrate will increase. But your muscles are NOT doing more work. Remember, your muscles doing work burns calories. So in this case, an increased heartrate has ZERO correlation to an increase in calories burned.

    Time for example 2. You're weight lifting. Now we're using anaerobic energy systems. Here's the important part about them. They do NOT use oxygen to make the muscles to do work. Reread that if you must. They do NOT use oxygen. They instead use stored fuel from carbs directly to make atp. So your heartrate could be 60, could be 160. Doesn't matter. The work being performed is not impacted by heartrate. (this is also why people are dumb for focusing on things like keeping heatrate elevated by doing cardio in between sets. Simply don't. if you're lifting heavy, then do it for lifting heavy and training those energy systems and muscle types and don't worry about your heartrate when it's not an indicator of anything for the work you are performing. Save the cardio for cardio.)

    Really? You'd explain *this* to a 5-year old?

    :laugh:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    To elxplain it like you're 5. There are 4 energy systems in the body. only 1 is exertion correlated to heartrate (the cardio system). this is because when your muscle do work, the energy to do this work comes from a mixture of carbs/fat in the body combined with oxygen to make atp. The oxygen is from the air you breath transported in the bloodstream by the heart. So the more your muscles do work, the more oxygen is required, thus the harder the heart beats to provide it.

    Ok great. Makes sense so far. Now what about when you're scared, or sit in a sauna? Your heartrate will increase. But your muscles are NOT doing more work. Remember, your muscles doing work burns calories. So in this case, an increased heartrate has ZERO correlation to an increase in calories burned.

    Time for example 2. You're weight lifting. Now we're using anaerobic energy systems. Here's the important part about them. They do NOT use oxygen to make the muscles to do work. Reread that if you must. They do NOT use oxygen. They instead use stored fuel from carbs directly to make atp. So your heartrate could be 60, could be 160. Doesn't matter. The work being performed is not impacted by heartrate. (this is also why people are dumb for focusing on things like keeping heatrate elevated by doing cardio in between sets. Simply don't. if you're lifting heavy, then do it for lifting heavy and training those energy systems and muscle types and don't worry about your heartrate when it's not an indicator of anything for the work you are performing. Save the cardio for cardio.)

    Really? You'd explain *this* to a 5-year old?

    :laugh:
    :laugh:
    I like this guy, I'm going to send my niece over A-SAP :laugh:
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Keep in mind that heart rate monitors are more accurate for pure cardio only burns, not so much anything else.

    People keep telling me that too so I sent an email to Polar and asked them if it was true. This is their response:

    Dear Jen,

    Thank you contacting Polar Customer Care, we apologize for the delayed response, Polar has received an influx of e-mails recently.

    Calories are calculated by heart rate data and user information (age, weight, height, gender). Therefore your calories would be accurate no matter how you were exercising.

    As long as the transmitter strap is wet, snug around your sternum and you are seeing accurate heart rate data on your watch, your watch will calculate your calories accurately.

    If you have any more questions or concerns please feel free to contact us directly using the link below. We have representatives available via Livechat, E-mail and our toll free line Monday-Friday 9am-5:15pm EST.

    http://www.polarusa.com/us-en

    Thank you for training with Polar!

    Katherine
    Polar Customer Care
    POLAR ELECTRO INC.

    Excellent. I'm glad they sent you this. Because now you can sue them for negligence.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    In to learn more. I plan to buy a HRM later this month.

    deskflip_zps24f0588f.gif
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Keep in mind that heart rate monitors are more accurate for pure cardio only burns, not so much anything else.

    People keep telling me that too so I sent an email to Polar and asked them if it was true. This is their response:

    Dear Jen,

    Thank you contacting Polar Customer Care, we apologize for the delayed response, Polar has received an influx of e-mails recently.

    Calories are calculated by heart rate data and user information (age, weight, height, gender). Therefore your calories would be accurate no matter how you were exercising.

    As long as the transmitter strap is wet, snug around your sternum and you are seeing accurate heart rate data on your watch, your watch will calculate your calories accurately.

    If you have any more questions or concerns please feel free to contact us directly using the link below. We have representatives available via Livechat, E-mail and our toll free line Monday-Friday 9am-5:15pm EST.

    http://www.polarusa.com/us-en

    Thank you for training with Polar!

    Katherine
    Polar Customer Care
    POLAR ELECTRO INC.
    Sorry, but they don't know what they're talking about. I'm surprised they said that actually, it makes me suspect they hired a telemarketing company to handle this stuff. Good for you for asking though. I'd send them along another message with their documents showing the equations they use are based on cardio. Particularly since they should know the math in their watches are based on cardio activities. Even universities know this (I've seen some studies come out of a University on polar watches and energy expenditure showing that even cardio calorie burns can be 33% off for women, someone made a thread about it here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study). The math for weight lifting is different. Particularly since you aren't moving around as much and not burning as much. That's kind of a silly response when you think about it actually. Heart rate, age, weight, height, gender 'therefore' calculate calories accurately? That doesn't make sense. If that were true the solution to everyones problem would be to watch a scary movie, get a hot bath, or sit out in the hot sun to spike the heart rate. I had a resting rate of over 100bpm when I was over weight, I should have been losing all kinds of weight sitting around by those standards.

    Your link does not work...

    I see good weight loss results using the numbers on my Polar FT4 and unless I see otherwise I guess I'll stay ignorant and believe the manufactureer of the device (crazy, I know).

    I wouldn't believe the manufacturer 100% but use it as a tool.. similar to a scale, measuring tape, calipers and the like. I like my HRM and I couldn't really give a flying pig what people want to say about how it's inaccurate and it's this and it's that. I see it as a tool.. more accurate, not perfect but more accurate than believing what a stupid treadmill tells me when it doesn't even account for the same data that my HRM does.

    For people who still have > 20% BF to lose, a HRM is a great tool to invest in. Those who have less will post all the garbage in the word to tell people not to buy one. As long as you see that it is not perfect but a guide or a tool, you will be fine.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I have a Garmin Forerunner 305. I like it as it also has the GPS function.

    Unfortunately the 305 does not base calorie estimates in heart rate. Some models of Garmin Forerunners do, the 305 does not. Which is why you don't get an estimate on indoor activities.

    As for the rest, Codergal covered it all.
    I have no issue with using HRMs as an estimate. If it works for you, great. I do have a problem with how overstated their accuracy is on this forum. I've seen so many people spend money they say they don't have for this because they feel its the only way. It's not. I've also seen a lot of people get in trouble from blindly following their HRM calorie burns.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member

    I wouldn't believe the manufacturer 100% but use it as a tool.. similar to a scale, measuring tape, calipers and the like. I like my HRM and I couldn't really give a flying pig what people want to say about how it's inaccurate and it's this and it's that. I see it as a tool.. more accurate, not perfect but more accurate than believing what a stupid treadmill tells me when it doesn't even account for the same data that my HRM does.

    For people who still have > 20% BF to lose, a HRM is a great tool to invest in. Those who have less will post all the garbage in the word to tell people not to buy one. As long as you see that it is not perfect but a guide or a tool, you will be fine.

    I agree with the use as a tool and understand that you don't care about the inaccuracy. I'm not telling people not to buy one, I try to make people understand how to use one properly and as a more effective tool.

    The treadmill doesn't need all that info. The HRM requires all those data points because of the formula it uses. Calories burned is weight and intensity. Things like walking are fairly easy to calculate if weight is know If the treadmill doesn ask for weight, then ok. But the fact it doesn't require all the same info doesn't mean it's less accurate.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Buying a used HRM off eBay was the best investment I ever made.

    ..... because I sold it back on eBay and made £20.00 profit!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    In to learn more. I plan to buy a HRM later this month.

    deskflip_zps24f0588f.gif

    Apparently, DavPul does not approve.
  • natalienstegall
    natalienstegall Posts: 4 Member
    I got the polar ft7 and I love it. It works very well and seems to be very accurate. I wear it to the gym and for spin class. I also have a fitbit (not a heart rate monitor) that I wear all day.
  • VincitQuiSeVincit
    VincitQuiSeVincit Posts: 285 Member
    It's a TOOL- same as anything else. 99% of the food you track is not accurate down to the exact calorie either.

    I have a Polar FT4 and it has definitely helped me track my cardio. At the end of the day, between my ESTIMATED calorie burn and my ESTIMATED calorie intake, I'm an ESTIMATED 500 calories under my ESTIMATED TDEE.

    It gives me a number I trust far more than MFP or the elliptical that does not take my weight or age into consideration.
    And yes, I have been steadily losing so while it may not be exact, it has its benefits.
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    I have a Polar FT4 and it is GREAT! I have found it super inspirational and useful :)

    Only issue I would say is the sensor can come off the strap around your chest. This only happened because 1. I have boobs :blushing: and 2. I was snowboarding so had layers of clothes and it was being rubbed around a lot. This only happened snowboarding.

    Otherwise, it is an absolute gem :) Best for motivating you and giving you an idea of how much your working, as well as realising that what MFP gives you must be designed for the most efficient calorie burning person in the world! I always am about 30% lower.

    Jess
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member

    I wouldn't believe the manufacturer 100% but use it as a tool.. similar to a scale, measuring tape, calipers and the like. I like my HRM and I couldn't really give a flying pig what people want to say about how it's inaccurate and it's this and it's that. I see it as a tool.. more accurate, not perfect but more accurate than believing what a stupid treadmill tells me when it doesn't even account for the same data that my HRM does.

    For people who still have > 20% BF to lose, a HRM is a great tool to invest in. Those who have less will post all the garbage in the word to tell people not to buy one. As long as you see that it is not perfect but a guide or a tool, you will be fine.

    I agree with the use as a tool and understand that you don't care about the inaccuracy. I'm not telling people not to buy one, I try to make people understand how to use one properly and as a more effective tool.

    The treadmill doesn't need all that info. The HRM requires all those data points because of the formula it uses. Calories burned is weight and intensity. Things like walking are fairly easy to calculate if weight is know If the treadmill doesn ask for weight, then ok. But the fact it doesn't require all the same info doesn't mean it's less accurate.

    I respectfully disagree.. I mean, someone who is 5'6" like me, same weight/age and someone else who shares same stats but different height or BF% is certainly not burning the same as me and vice versa. Most treadmills only ask for weight and age, height/bf%/lean mass estimates would probably provide for a better calculation. It's not a perfect world, neither are HRMs but yeah..
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    In to learn more. I plan to buy a HRM later this month.

    deskflip_zps24f0588f.gif

    Apparently, DavPul does not approve.

    He never approves.

    :wink:
  • spike90
    spike90 Posts: 704 Member
    Polar FT 7
  • agreed. you have a severe misunderstanding on how caloeies are burned. muscles being used is what burns calories. not your heart.
    And yes, if you're sleeping in bed, weighing in at 250lbs, and your HR is 110 bpm, you're burning the same amount of calories as if you were on a treadmill, at 250lbs, keeping your HR at 110 bpm

    This is absolutely 100% untrue.
    Do you know that if you use your muscles, your heart rate will go up? HR is just a measurement of your exertion. If you're sleeping, and your HR is 110, you will not be walking with 110 bpm. It will be higher. Because you're exerting yourself more. And using your muscles.

    Also absolutely untrue, but what do I know I only watch people sleep for a living. I see MANY heart rates escalate in sleep independent of true medical rationale (you would assume something like Sleep Apnea would be the root cause, but this is not always the case) your heart is part of a system controlled by your brainstem, when sleeping all those functions are quite different.
  • I have the Wahoo Fitness Blue HR. I love love love it. It works through blutooth with with my iPhone. So, if you don't have an iPhone then it won't work for you. I love all the different things it tracks. I have never had connectivity issues. I just keep it tight and right under the band of my sports bra.

    Another point to throw into this conversation is to account only for your net calorie burn, not your gross calorie burn.
    Your body is burning calories all the time, even at rest, so you don't want to count those resting calories for the duration of your workout, because you would have burned them anyway.
    I use this calculator:
    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn-conversion-calculator.aspx
    to get my net calories, and that's what I input into myfitnesspal. I figure it's better to underestimate my total burn than overestimate and eat too much.
  • I use the Body Fit media armband. It's not a heart rate monitor but it does keep track of how many calories you burn throughout the day. It's also a pedometer and it monitors your sleep habits, too. They use the Fit bands on the biggest loser :) I love mine. It totally gives you an insight into your metabolism. You can set goals to help you lose weight.....I have mine set so that I have a 1000 calorie daily deficit.....that means if I hit the deficit every day I'll lose 2# a week. I've lost over 11# since I've started using it. It has accuracy with less than a 10% margin of error. It's one of the best fitness purchases I've made. Tomorrow they are offering 30% off the bands so it would be a great time to buy one!!! Hope this helps!
    http://www.bodymedia.com/