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Are Symptoms Of Irregular Heart Rate Throughout The Day A Concern?
Question: Hello Doctor, I recently started using an Apple watch to register heart rate. The way Apple watch works it will use infrared to track hundreds of heart rate readings throughout the day. At least one reading out of the hundreds, almost daily, has been bradycardia. Mostly in the 50's some in the 40's and 30's and one 26 BPM! They are spread throughout the day each day. I have not seen multiple XXXXXXX readings in one day, nor any close to each other, meaning seconds or minutes later the values go up to around normal. Is it possible the watch is measuring a PVC or PAC? If not what is the concern level of heart rate dipping quickly to these levels and then recovering? I cannot figure out if these single readings are anomalies, correct, or some other heart rhythm not interpreted correctly.
Brief Answer:
It may be artefacts during monitoring
Detailed Answer:
Hi! Welcome to health care magic! Thanks for sharing your concerns with us. We will try to help you in best way possible.
First of all, you picked out the mechanism of monitoring quute right, but let me clarify that this method isn't hundred percent correct and may have certain artefacts in measurement. The correct way is still measurement through an EKG or cardiac monitor through electric leads attached to the body. These digital watches or pulse oxymeters also picks abnormal beats as XXXXXXX or tachy as it may miss some beats altogether or over read many small artefacts.
If you are not having any symptoms like dizziness or episodes of falls or loss of balance or feeling sudden vertigo or lucid intervals you shouldn't over think this phenomenon. These are meant to roughly give us some idea about how out heart is behaving specially during exercise and strenuous works.
If you still feel that there is something wrong among the symptoms I have mentioned earlier, get a baseline EKG and 24 hour holter monitoring done as it can record EKG rythm throughout 24 hours and detect any abnormal rate or rythm.
Hope this has answered your query, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Regards.
It may be artefacts during monitoring
Detailed Answer:
Hi! Welcome to health care magic! Thanks for sharing your concerns with us. We will try to help you in best way possible.
First of all, you picked out the mechanism of monitoring quute right, but let me clarify that this method isn't hundred percent correct and may have certain artefacts in measurement. The correct way is still measurement through an EKG or cardiac monitor through electric leads attached to the body. These digital watches or pulse oxymeters also picks abnormal beats as XXXXXXX or tachy as it may miss some beats altogether or over read many small artefacts.
If you are not having any symptoms like dizziness or episodes of falls or loss of balance or feeling sudden vertigo or lucid intervals you shouldn't over think this phenomenon. These are meant to roughly give us some idea about how out heart is behaving specially during exercise and strenuous works.
If you still feel that there is something wrong among the symptoms I have mentioned earlier, get a baseline EKG and 24 hour holter monitoring done as it can record EKG rythm throughout 24 hours and detect any abnormal rate or rythm.
Hope this has answered your query, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Regards.
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. REMY KOSHY
Answered by
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