One question I see asked about time and time again on my dysautonomia chat groups is . . . What about heart rate monitor watches? For the uninitiated, some dsyautonomiacs wear heart rate monitors to let them know when their heart rate is getting too high, or too low, or just doing funky stuff. In the mainstream market, they are intended to assist with hitting targets during training and work-outs. We have kind of hijacked them for our purposes.
Their use can be somewhat divisive in the dysautonomia community—some claim they can make a person paranoid, always watching your wrist instead of focusing on how you feel. Others feel like they are a lifesaver. I am pretty much in the camp of “do whatever you got to do”. Some will probably obsess, others not so much. Some may use it as a crutch, but if it is a crutch that allows you to get out of the house, maybe there is some merit. Only you can make that call; I am not going to get on you either way—we are all just trying to get through the day. I personally use them, and find them helpful. So, like many of my other reviews, I want to share my experience.
But before I get into specifics, I want to give you a little background—a primer, so to speak. As far as I can tell (seems like technology is always changing), there are 3 types of Heart Rate Monitor Watches available right now, as least in the US.
Type 1-Active Watch-Only
The most basic, and usually cheapest, is a watch-only device. In order to view your heart rate, you must take a finger and place it on a special spot on the watch for a few seconds, and the watch will read your pulse. You can think of it as a digital upgrade to the “put your fingers on your neck” trick. This type of watch will only offer active monitoring—it will not monitor your heart rate unless your finger is on that specific spot. It cannot alert you to a high heart rate unless you think to check it. There are many different makers of this type of heart rate watch, and prices can vary. However, most heart rate watches under $40 will fall into this category.
Type 2 – Passive Watch/Chest Strap Combo
The second type of heart monitor watch can offer continuous monitoring. This set up will include a watch as well as a chest strap of some kind. There are many different makers of both watches and chest straps, some intercomparable, some not. Some will also sync up to apps you can run on your phone or iPod. You will have to do your research to find out which ones do and don’t—too numerous to list here. One must wear the chest strap, which usually includes a removable monitor, that then communicates your heart rate to the appropriately synced watch. This type of set up allows for passive monitoring, aka you do not need to do anything other than get it set up for it to monitor your heart rate. Several types also have a function for setting a target heart rate zone, so the watch will alert you if you go above or below this zone.
The only limitations on how often or long you wear this type of heart rate monitor watch are the batteries and your tolerance of wear the chest strap. Some brands suggest wetting the chest strap for a better connection, which may irritate sensitive skin. And as the chest strap needs to be flush against the chest wall, some may not like the feeling of tightness around the chest. Many in this category offer other features as well, such as tracking calories, workout timer, etc. as these are mostly targeted towards the working out crowd and not the crazy high heart rate for no reason at all crowd. Prices on this type of monitor can vary greatly, depending on the extra bells and whistles you want. Plenty of more basic models can be found under $100, and occasionally under $50. Higher end models can run a couple of hundred dollars and can include GPS, syncing to your computer/phone, and keeping your heart-rate records stored for future access.
Type 3 – Passive Watch-Only
The third is a relatively new addition to the market. These are watch-only models that allow passive monitoring. Despite being new, they use a rather old technology—the good old pulse oximeter. Yes, that thingy the doc puts on the end of your finger that indicates your pulse and percent oxygen saturation. Pretty much the exact same thing, but moved on to the wrist—and it only does pulse, not oxygen saturation (probably could if they programed it to, though). As far as I can tell these are the only watches on the market can do passive monitoring without a chest strap. And they tend to be pricey, average about $200. I am only aware of 2 watches that fall into this category, at least as the moment–the Mio Alpha and the Basis B1. It is unclear if more manufacturers will start making this type of watch or not.
Mio AlphaActivity Trackers
A somewhat new category that is tangentially related is the activity tracker. Activity trackers are generally just fancy pedometers. Depending on the model, they may be able to track sleep, stairs climbed, or even calories if you use synced phone apps. Their accuracy is somewhat debatable at the moment, and most do not track heart rate. However, the Basis B1 (which is like a cross between the watch-only passive heart rate monitor and an activity tracker) does both as well as the Polar activity tracker that can sink up with a polar chest strap to track heart rate. Which pretty much makes it exactly like the chest strap-watch combo except as a bracelet instead of a watch—and extra bells and whistles.
Hopefully you now have an idea about the different types of Heart Rate Monitor watches available. Now that you have the basics, be on the lookout in the next few weeks for reviews on a couple of different Heart Rate Monitor watches.
If I have missed a type or category, please feel free to let me know in the comments.
Dysautonomia Dorothy 