A heart rate watch is one type of wearable technology that not only makes everyday life easier, but also helps you keep track of important aspects of your health. Often doubling as fitness trackers, these useful accessories can provide information about your heart’s activity.
“Smart watches and heart rate monitor watches report your heart rate, or how many times your heart beats per minute. They use technology that can detect pulsatile changes in blood volume under the skin,” explained Dr. Nicole Harkin, a board-certified cardiologist at Whole Heart Cardiology.
In other words, thanks to a small optical LED sensor on the watch’s underside that can measure the change in blood flow to your blood vessels, and in conjunction with data about how you move, can determine your resting and active heart rates.
“Both [rates] have implications for your heart health as they are a reflection of your cardiorespiratory fitness … as well as the status of your autonomic nervous system,” Harkin said.
An elevated heart rate and a fluctuation in the time between heartbeats are both associated with a greater risk of heart conditions. Tracking this information with a smart watch is a great way to generally monitor your heart health on a daily basis, even if you don’t regularly engage in intense exercise.
There are a couple things to keep in mind to get the most accurate reading from your watch, according to Dr. Hafiza Khan, a board-certified clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at Baylor Scott and White Health.
“If worn too tightly, the band can interfere with blood flow. Even if the optical sensor can pick up a signal, it won’t be accurate because blood cannot flow through your wrist naturally,” Khan said. “But if worn too loosely, space and air can prevent the optical LED monitor from capturing your heart rate at all.”
Below, we rounded up five highly-reviewed heart rate watches, each of which can be great to add to your everyday routine, according to promising reviews.
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Apple Watch Series 7
Promising review: “Battery lasts all day under normal use. Very quick to charge if I do need to. My favorite features are the fitness monitoring and the ability to take an ECG. As someone with a heart condition, the peace of mind from being able to take an ECG, check blood oxygen levels, and monitor heart rate has been awesome. Pairs well with my phone and new data syncs up almost instantly. I had held off on an Apple Watch for a long time but now that I have one I wish I hadn’t waited so long.” — Andrew Joyce
Fitbit Charge 5
Promising review: “I purchased this for my dad that likes to walk. My dad has had a heart surgery and he finds it very helpful to watch his heart rate while walking. He wears it all the time and says it works great and is comfortable.” — Ashley Fitzpatrick
Garmin Instinct
Promising review: “Perfect to keep track of my sleep patterns, watch my heart rate while on hunts due different elevations, and having the ability to re trace my steps and get back to camp is perfect. Batteries usually last me about 10 days between charges.” — Taira Goy
Fitbit Versa 2
Promising review:
“Got this for my girlfriend to help her track and manage her anxiety. Between the heart rate monitor and built-in breathing/relaxing exercises, she says it has been a huge help and has enabled her to see when she is becoming anxious before she even realizes it and helps her to calm herself down. Lastly, it makes her more excited to work out because she likes seeing/tracking her progress. Definitely a great purchase!” — Pierce Carnell
Samsung Galaxy watch
Promising review: “It looks good with high definition, battery life approx 40 hours after a full charge, tracks exercise quite accurately as well as measuring heart rate. It is light weight, can’t feel any heat on my wrist, and bands does not seem sticky. During walking and running, it measured multiple datas including almost real-time heart rate. It’s been fun to exercise with this watch. In my opinion, there’s no doubt if you own a Samsung smartphone, this is the best watch on the market.” — Spoly
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