Medical science is a field that has been very receptive to changes in technology. Like most things it transforms, technology has also made healthcare more convenient and accessible. Sensors can now monitor your health parameters with ease. Gone are the days when you had to go to the doctor’s office to measure your heart rate. You can know your heart rate doing nothing with your Fitbit device, provided it has that feature.
Does Fitbit Charge, 2, 3, 4, HR, Alta, HR, Ace, 2 Track Heart Rate?
The Fitbit Charge 2, 3, 4, HR, and Alta HR devices come with sensors that can monitor your heartbeat. Hence, they can track your heart rate. However, you must turn it on if you want to track your heart rate using Fitbit Charge 2 or Alta HR. That said, the accuracy of each of these devices varies. On the other hand, the Fitbit Ace, 2, and Alta do not track your heart rate.
How Does Fitbit Track Your Heart Rate?
Your Fitbit uses an optical sensor to measure the number of times your heart beats per second. Then, it uses this information to track your heart rate. To do so, it sends light from green LEDs several times in one second. They use green LEDs because they give the best signals from your blood vessels. Then, a photodiode measures the changes in your blood during the given time.
A photodiode is a light-sensitive device. This means that its resistance changes when light falls on it. Since the change in resistance is an electrical property, the information from light can be carried to your device electronically. Thus, it can measure the changes in the volume of your blood. The change in volume directly corresponds to your heartbeat. This is because your blood vessels expand and contract when your heartbeats.
Does the Fitbit Charge 2 Track Heart Rate?
Yes, the Fitbit Charge 2 tracks heart rate. It monitors your heart rate during the entire day and also when you exercise, provided you turn the feature on. Although experts consider the accuracy of this device to be good, the actual precision may vary. This means that when you take a large number of people, the average value of heart rates that your Fitbit shares would be close to the real value.
On the other hand, when you look at the individual level, the value you get may not be close to the actual value. According to a report, it could be lower than the real value by about 30 beats per minute. Considering that the human heart beats at an average of 72 beats per minute, this is a huge inaccuracy.
Does the Fitbit Charge 3 Track Heart Rate?
Yes, the Fitbit Charge 3 also has a sensor to measure your heart rate. In fact, it can even tell the quality of your sleep by measuring your heart rate. Thus, it can tell you if your sleep was light or deep, and also the amount of time you were awake. While the Fitbit Charge 3 can measure your heart rate when you work out, it performs best when you rest.
The accuracy of your Fitbit device is very good when it is at rest. When measured against the ECG reading, it gave close values. The values were off only by about 5 beats per minute 95% of the time. This suffices for most people.
Does the Fitbit Charge 4 Track Heart Rate?
The Fitbit Charge 4 comes with built-in technology for measuring your heartbeats per minute. So, it can track your heart rate. Thus, it gives you real-time data about your heart rate during the entire day. It has very advanced sensors when compared to its predecessors. Hence, you can have the advantage of better accuracy.
However, the accuracy drops significantly when you exercise. Moreover, the accuracy is inversely proportional to the intensity of your exercise. Thus, if you are doing an intense workout, your accuracy will be much lower than when you just walk. This is probably because your arms tend to move around when you exercise, with the movement increasing when the exercise is vigorous. This changes the position of your device on your wrist, making it move a bit up and down. Hence, the sensors are not able to get a consistent reading.
Does the Fitbit Charge HR Track Heart Rate?
Your Fitbit Charge HR measures your heart rate throughout the day. You can see this number on the display. Further, your device can show you which zone you are in when you exercise. It can measure your heart rate continuously and is the first Fitbit to incorporate strapless technology. This model of Fitbit has a decent accuracy of 84%. However, as with the previous versions, the accuracy decreases with exercise. This value goes down even further if you engage in high-intensity activities.
Does the Fitbit Alta Track Heart Rate?
The Fitbit Alta came with a triaxial accelerometer and a good battery life. Also, it is rain and splash-proof. However, The Fitbit Alta does not track heart rate. Thus, this particular model of Fitbit is not suitable for those who want to continuously monitor their heart rate. That said, your device can still track your sleep automatically, without measuring your heart rate.
Does the Fitbit Alta HR Track Heart Rate?
The Fitbit Alta HR has sensors to track your heartbeat. Hence, it can track your heart rate. However, the process is not automatic. You have to turn it on manually. You can take the following steps to track your heart rate with your device:
- Open the Fitbit app.
- Click on the Today tab and go to your profile icon.
- Once you have clicked on your profile picture, you can go ahead to your device image.
- Then, you have to click on the heart rate feature.
- Finally, you have to change the settings to auto.
The accuracy of your device is extremely good when it comes to measuring heart rate. In fact, it is off only by 3 beats per minute. Thus, it is a great choice for those who want accurate measurements of their heart rate.
Does the Fitbit Ace Track Heart Rate?
The Fitbit Ace was designed particularly for kids. You can set it up with a family account and even use passwords to keep track of what features your child uses. Being a device for kids, the Fitbit Ace does not come with technology to measure heartbeat. Hence, it cannot track heart rate. However, it has several age-appropriate technologies for kids.
Does the Fitbit Ace 2 Track Heart Rate?
This Fitbit is meant for kids over the age of six. You might expect the heart rate tracker to be a normal feature on all Fitbit devices. However, the Fitbit Ace 2 does not track heart rate. Also, it cannot track blood oxygen levels.
Therefore, it cannot tell when your kids workout. However, they can manually type them in. If you want your kid to have a Fitbit with a heart rate tracker, you will have to settle for another model. However, you would not be able to set those models up with a family account.
How to Make Your Fitbit More Accurate?
No device is perfect and hence you should expect some level of inaccuracy from your Fitbit. However, if your Fitbit is showing wild values for your heart rate, you can consider making a few changes. Here are some ways you can fix it:
- Wear It Right
You should ensure that you place your Fitbit on your wrist. Further, the backside of your device must touch your skin. Otherwise, your device will not be able to pick up signals from your blood vessels in an accurate manner. Also, you should wear it slightly above your wrist bone.
- Wear It Tight When You Exercise
Sometimes, when you exercise, your wrist can have excessive movement. This can affect the signals your Fitbit receives from your body. Ultimately, it affects the accuracy of your heart beats per minute. To avoid this, you should ensure that your Fitbit is tighter than usual when you exercise. It should be taut against your skin. However, it should not be too tight, as in, it should not constrict your blood vessels. This is because it reduces the blood flow and hence leads to inaccurate readings.
- Try Adjusting the Temperature
If you exercise in a cold environment, your device may have trouble picking up signals. This is because the weather affects the quantity of blood that passes in the blood vessels under your skin. Hence, if you can adjust the temperature of your home, your Fitbit may work more accurately.
- Try Relaxing Your Wrist
Sometimes, you may find that your heart rate monitor goes blank. Do not worry. This is not a problem with your device. It is most likely because you engaged in some high-intensity exercise. Thus, you can try relaxing your wrist for a few seconds. Your heart rate monitor should be back to normal in about 10 seconds.
Conclusion
Tracking your heart rate has become easy with Fitbit devices. However, not all models come with the ability to track heart rate. Hope you got some information about this. With advancing technology, you can expect the feature to work better in the future.
