An increased uptake of wearable technology such as smartwatches and even smart rings (I saw someone pay for the train with his ring the other day, madness), has resulted in people from all walks of life taking greater interest in health monitoring.
With vital sign watches we can see daily graphs, deviations and specific emergencies all mapped out online, but with access to so much information some people feel a little out of their depth.
If you are wondering how to read a heart rate watch or how to interpret your health data, this example using the comprehensive Audar Dashboard might help you understand what each measurement really means for you.
How Do You Read a Heart Rate Monitor?
The most common measurement taken by these devices is heart rate. Here's what you need to know:
- Heart rate is measured in BPM, which stands for Beats Per Minute
- Your "resting heart rate" is different from your "active heart rate"
- Heart rate is a direct measure of how frequently your heart is pumping blood through your body
- Each beat takes in "old" blood while sending your body "new" Oxygenated blood
- The more energy you spend, the more Oxygen is processed and blood is sent to energise your body
To take a measurement, scroll to the heart rate section of the watch.
Stay still, and make sure the underside of the monitor is directly on your skin.
When you take a measurement you will see a result as a single number, for example 65 BPM.
This shows your heart is, if the current rate is maintained, going to beat 65 times in the space of 1 minute.
The most important thing to remember when reading heart rate is that your breathing is steady and you aren't exerted. This can mean both from physical exercise but also internal processes like processing food, or even physiological processes like being stressed.
Resting Heart Rate vs Active Heart Rate
While taking a heart rate measurement is very simple, and the information is given as a single number, there's actually two different types of heart rates.
"Resting heart rate" refers to your BPM when you are sat idle, having not recently exerted yourself, been eating etc, and maintaining a regular breathing pattern. This heart rate is a baseline for your bodies efficiency.
"Active heart rate" is your BPM during or shortly after exercising. This will be far higher than your resting rate, and can show if your body is efficient when it comes to processing energy expenditure during exercise.
The majority of advice about heart rates refers to resting heart rate, but just be sure to check when you are looking into lifestyle changes that you fully understand the different symptoms each type of measurement can identify.
Checking Your Average Heart Rate
When reading a heart rate monitor, remember that your vital signs are constantly changing. For this reason, it is best to check your weekly and monthly averages rather than just rely on one-off measurements. This reduces the concern caused by outliers, and gives you a better understanding of your heart.
For example, my upper and lower limits for heart rate deviation alerts for my Audar E2 are far higher than that of a colleague. His heart rate when at rest is as low as 60 BPM, while mine is rarely ever below 70.
I am larger, and currently not as fit, which means my heart has to beat faster when at rest to maintain my Oxygen levels. My colleague is thin and a little healthier, so his blood has an easier time getting around his system and keeping him energised.
After eating, our metabolisms will affect our resting heart rate, too!
All these underlying differences, right down to someone's height, can affect your average heart rate. This is why it is vital that you look at your own heart data on comprehensive graphs when you can, to understand your own "normal" and lessen the worry when a heart rate seems low or high compared to someone else using a health watch.
Heart Rate Monitor Without an App or Smartphone
If you or someone you know wants to learn more about their heart, and keep tabs on vital signs like blood pressure, temperature and blood Oxygen then a vital sign monitor is a great way to begin.
For users who aren't integrated into a "smart home" or within a smartphone ecosystem already, the Audar E2 allows you to bypass all that and get constant health data direct from the watch. You can view the dashboard online, no specific brand of phone or app download needed.
Your heart rate averages as well as every single individual heart rate monitor measurement are stored for you to examine and interact with, helping you really understand your health day-today, week-to-week, month-to-month!
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