heart rate spikes

I am also unsatisfied with my watch 3 which I have been using religiously since January. I have logged 274 “move goal days” already.

I am at the gym about 2 hrs a day and record each workout using the app. I record mostly elliptical and occasionally “other” when I have fitness classes.

Clearly the watch is unable to get the proper heart rate. The problem with the algorithm is that it picks up twice the regular heart rate and will oscillate between the true heart rate (around 100 for me) and go to twice it’s value.

I don’t need Apple’s advice to get an external HR monitor. This is clearly an easy fix which they won’t do. I have had this problem continually in the past but ignored it if it wasn’t too big of an issue. Recently I updated to watchOS 5 and the problem seemed to have gotten worse. So I reset the watch and did a recalibration walking outside. The problem is now MUCH WORSE than before such that an entire workout will be at twice the HR as you can see on this graph.

My strap is on tight but not too tight. I am doing rhythmic exercises so none of the usual disclaimers hold. Simply in my opinion I cannot recommend the AW to others who want to get a sports band to track their HR.

(For what it’s worth I am a professor of computer engineering at a top twenty university worldwide. I have expertise in pitch tracking and know the issues of real-time signal analysis. However this problem should not be a difficult one to solve.)

I have solved issues with heart rate spiking with my Series 3 Apple Watch by no longer using it for workouts. The Polar H1 is more accurate and synchronizes with my iPhone perfectly. Apple was nice enough to replace my defective watch with a new one but I prefer the Polar as do most serious athletes. In the gym I can easily see my heart rate on the iPhone which I leave on the control panel of the machine I am using.

Six months ago I had heart surgery to repair a defect. During my recovery I was required to keep my heart at lower rates when working out. The AW did not track changes in my heart rate reliably and wasn’t nearly as fast as the Polar which seems to have a near immediate reading of my bpm. Aditionally, the large display in the iPhone is much easier to see than a watch on my wrist.

I love the idea of the AW, but a $100 Polar H1 blows it away.

I too have been experiencing spikes at random times, often when doing absolutely nothing but sitting watching tv. I immediately checked my blood pressure usping 2 different cuffs and everything was normal . Frustrating since this hasn’t happened with either versions of my watces until recently. I expect better from Appl, especially with the high prices.

I have experienced similar high rate measurements on my watch series 1, every time I start a workout. On a treadmill, I was able to compare values on the watch to the heart rate obtained from the machine itself. For instance, while running and at the point it occurred, the rate shown by the watch was 174, the value reported by the treadmill was 104. Every time the value went up on the watch the machine, those on the treadmill differ wildly. I put into practice all ideas thrown on the subject and this hasn't changed. Last night, while doing a workout, the watch showed measurements of 166 at 6:54 pm, 171 at 7 pm, 161 at 7:02 and 115 after 7:03. It is odd that Apple hasn't sorted out the reason for this disparity on the values. Can I trust these measurements? This situation has been constant for over a year.

I am using an Apple watch Series 4 44mm Nike edition and I get anormal and erratic readings of my heart rate when starting to jog o run at a slow pace... usually it takes 10-15 minutes reading erratic values and then it starts more uniform values ( note : I jog at the same speed all time, so there i no reason for High heart rate values )

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.

I bought a Series 4 Apple Watch back in November of 2018. At first, no issues. The HR seemed overall accurate in comparison to my old Fitbit readings. However, it's March now and I have noticed random spikes. One time my HR showed on the display as 185, which was impossible because all I did was walk. My walking HR also shows as 146 or up sometimes, which I know cannot be correct. The sudden dips in HR really scared me at first- it would go from 60s to 130 in half a second, when all I did was stand up or just walk around. I have owned both Firbit HR 1 and 2 series and I have never had such a high walking HR, only during exercise. Seeing that this has been a recurring issue with different Apple Watch series, makes me think there has to be a software error. Also, it would be nice if Apple Watch offered continuous HR monitoring like Fitbit.

I am owner of a Series 4 Nike Edition , and no matter how tight the band is , at the start of my training it always show abnormal values ( very high ) and after some minutes of erratic values it start to give good readings.

I started using a Polar Heart rate sensor to see if the problem continues and , yes, I get erratic values when starting my training.

What can I do ?

If the problem continues I will prefer to continue using my Polar V800....

Any solution ?

Yes I’ve had apple 3 watch for over a year with consistent heart rate readings. But in last week I’ve had multiple readings over 150! Then it goes back to normal 65-90 range

I have the same problem sinds i buy a New Apple Watch 3, and i have now a Apple Watch 4 and is the same problem of the heart rade spikes. I have made many photo ( screen shots of it ).

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

So we have to buy the S0 series LOL

Hope that the future WatchOS updates will fix this BIG problem 😠