heart rate spikes

I have a generation 1 Watch and while I started noticing weird spikes months ago, now with OS4 I think it's getting way, way worse (or maybe it's the hardware itself that it's getting too old?...).

I'm seeing a lot of frequent 120-160 spikes as well as 30-40 dips in my readings. What I've noticed is that these weird values only happen with the automatic readings. If I start a continuous recording session with Cardiogram it's a steady 60-65 for hours (well, at least until the battery dies). But as soon as I turn off the continuous reading... boom, here's the 30 heart rate.

Another thing I noticed, it looks like the spikes/dips are always the first readings, then it starts to correctly read the heart rate. Also, if I move my hand suddenly or do some other irregular movement then I also get weird 120-160/30-40 values.

I mean I would prefer the watch to skip completely everything that is not 100% reliable than to have all these wrong values.

So I have had the exact same problem, and am embarrassed to say what I have went through. I was convinced I must be having some type of fibrillation or something. I have seen this on my gen 1 watch for a year now. Did all the things they suggested as well, still got spikes. As a result, I actually went to a heart doctor who hooked me up to a 48 hour heart monitor test...which came back completely normal....no spikes despite seeing them on the Apple Watch during this time. I even joined cariogram and it just takes the data from the watch and gives no diagnostic back. So that was a waste. I just upgraded to a 3 series...same thing. I now have an alert on my watch so it tells me when it happens - but it will not work when you are exercising (which is when it happens to me). So now when I am exercising I hold the heart monitor on the exercise machine...I have caught several times my watch spiking, but zero spike on the exercise machine - completely normal. I don’t know what to say other than this is likely something many people experience. I love the watch and what it does - but this problem is annoying and for me caused considerable angst! I hope it is fixed soon. My biggest worry is if someone does have an actual problem and ignores it because they think it is erroneous. But for me at least it seems to not be accurate.

I've had a similar issue. I've made sure my watch is fitted correctly, but I do get the random spike in heart rate say from 74 bpm to 166 bpm for a second or two, then right back down to normal. It seems to correspond to a fast movement of my arm... reaching for something, brushing teeth etc.

Hi, this sudden spike occurs when the back of the watch moves in relat to the skin during a measurement cycle. You can replicate this by taking a measurement deliberately by tapping the heart icon, then after a few moments move the watch up or down on your wrist while it is reading. Usually you will get a massive spike that is not repeated if the watch is not moved further.

There is certainly an issue with some folks seen when a workout is started that involves some rhythmic activity. I'm a regular 64 yo runner with HR usually in mid 40s. I've had a series 2 watch for 2 years, and now a series 4. The same issue is seen on both - resting HR accurate, but almost every time when I start a run the watch reports a spike, typically to 170-185, that plateaus for 3-4 minutes then suddenly drops to the expected (and correct when checked) 120-130 and stays there for the rest of the run. Pulse when actually taken during the abnormal spike is the 100-120 or so expected for initial rise with exercise. This pattern is quite reproducible - always at beginning of run (unless I stop for a bit for some reason and restart, at which point I may see another brief spike). I then counted my step rate at the beginning of runs, and it seemed to correlate well with the perceived spike - a bit lower if I ran slower, faster with quicker step cadence. So for me, and for some other users who see the identical pattern, it seems the watch on occasion will pick up a step count rather than HR before it corrects itself. Perhaps intermittent but regular skin contact is the culprit.

My Heart Rate monitor suddenly mid-year started with random spikes readings for no particular reason. It would be at 72 and then spike for one reading to 166 and then back to the 70’s. This is highly frustrating and leaves me without a reliable HR monitor.

What surprises me is that with all the brilliant Apple software engineers none of them have thought about writing a couple of lines of code to validate the reading before displaying it. If the last two readings were in the 70’s and then the next reading is is 166, surely they should suppress the reading random spike and check again. If it drops back to the previous range then ignore the spike. If it stays up in that range then continue to record it. My world of process control would encounter catastrophic failures if every time a sporadic reading from a sensor came through. We would have airplanes crashing and power plants causing huge disasters if every reading was taken as the gospel and not validated before accepting it as a true value.

Please Apple Engineers, take note and add a few lines of code to suppress random readings so I can continue to use my Apple Watch as a true HR monitor.

The watch clearly has no idea of when its accurate or when it is not. I can assure you there was no reason for these odd measurements. Cost me an expensive cardio visit & tests & the conclusion by the cardio was not to put any credibility in what the watch was reporting. Told me to toss it, but I like having the LTE for calls without the iPhone. So disappointed in the watch.

I had been using my watch for 3 years. When training it tends to show high readings 150+. That happens when warming up walking on a treadmill or sometimes while I am running. At times a single reading goes high, other times it covers two minutes of it. Either way, it returns to reasonable value 60-90. I have been observing carefully when it happens in order to corroborate actual reading with the one supplied by the treadmill. For example, watch's reading 175, treadmill's reading 98. When the watch returns to a value it matches the treadmill reading of 98. One experiment I made was to start running with the application off for 3 minutes and start it after 3 minutes running. The watch did not show the spike and pick it up and worked correctly till the end of the run. It is not right that Apple doesn't seem to accept there is a problem. But it does have spike and I assume it is often when doing exercise like running. The spikes can be 150, 165, 175.

Hi

Apple advises that, even under ideal conditions, Apple Watch may not be able to record a reliable heart rate reading every time for everybody.

For the best performance from the heart rate sensor during workouts, Apple suggests that you consider tightening your watch band beforehand and loosening it again afterwards.

Wearing it with the right fit (neither too tight nor too loose, with room for your skin to breathe) should be comfortable, whilst also allowing the sensors to operate properly:

The sensor is also likely to give better results for workouts that involve rhythmic (eg running) rather than irregular (eg boxing) movements. Other issues that can impact sensor performance include skin perfusion and wrist tattoos.

For workouts that involve flexing your wrists, it may help to move your watch a little higher up your arm, away from the flexing joint.

If you continue to experience issues, for more consistent readings, you may wish to consider pairing an external heart rate monitor / Bluetooth chest strap to your watch.

More information:

Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support

Use the Workout app on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Use Bluetooth accessories with your Apple Watch - Apple Support

I noticed this behavior too recently. Not sure if it started after an upgrade or after I had my baby (and was pushing a stroller).

It really worried me at first - I am having extremely low postpartum heart rates. So to have my hr jump to 160+ while walking, in addition to my crazy low resting hr, scared me.

But hubby, who works with interpreting data a lot (including analyzing wave data) was sure it was a bug based on how it spikes. Something about harmonics and not filtering peaks right. So...

We brought out the finger pulse ox, which has a pulse reader. When I got the haptic alert it was spiking (in the HeartWatch app -- GREAT app for the Apple Watch) we put on the second monitor and...

Comfirmed it's a bug.

It could be happening because my wrist is flexed (pushing the stroller), but I swear this "feature" is somewhat new. I've been walking with the stroller for almost two months and only noticed theses spikes in the last 2+ weeks.

I hope Apple fixes this soon! Sure scares ya at first.

OK, reading these comments improved my confidence a bit. I actually have A fib issues and recently changed meds. I have felt great up until I bought an Apple watch and started tracking. Once per day, I noticed a spike (highest was 191). The issue was I didn't feel a spike. Let me tell you from experience, you can't feel your heart beat, but you can feel it when it stops (or goes into A fib). I suspected it was a ghost in the machine. I think it would be great if Apple addressed the issue so that folks would not stress out.

I've got the same problem. Only started noticing this when downloading SleepMatic recently. First two nights data was pretty solid at 70 bpm during the night. Third night? Abrupt spike from 70 to 115 then down to 70. I was trying to figure out if this was an apnic episode or not. Following night, got a drop to 53 bpm then back to 70. Hmmmmm. Next night, seeing a drop to 53 before I even went to sleep....when I was watching a movie on TV and would have KNOWN. Last night? Spike to 120 at 6 am with the watch strapped snug so it can't move.

I'm pretty **** sure if I was hitting 120 I'd be waking up panting. Now, I've had an extra heartbeat my entire life, and I'm wondering if what's happening here is a misinterpretation of the data if the extra beat kicks in.

I am getting some wacky readings too. It has caused me some anxiety also here’s a photo of the drop I was working moving boxes around in a van when this happened my wife got tired of me freaking out so she said give me the watch and she wore it for a few hours and it happened to her too haha I feel better now. Two photos here ones mine the other is hers. No exercise just busy movements.

I am having this issue too. I just started wearing the Apple 3 watch. I swim laps and my heart rate spikes to 210! I don’t notice though. Happened on the stationary bike too and I was just getting started and my hands were on my lap. I was not tured, out of breath etc. happens when I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom- 159! Ever get any answers? Its freaking me out.