Heart rate tracking

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There are many tools that measure and record heart rate, aka pulse, either continuously, during an exercise session or periodically throughout the day. There are lots and lots of such devices and so not all have been evaluated. Heart rate is most common vital in Biofeedback.

Bands and Watches

Most smartwatches and fitness trackers that are worn as wrist-bands provide heart rate data in one form or another. Virtually all of them do so through Pulse Oximetry and try to avoid measurement artifacts through the use of accelerometer data. Cheap devices might actually not be able to reliably read heart rate from the pulse oximetry and rather "make up" heart rate "readings" solely based on the amount of movement as measured by the accelerometer. Widely used wearable devices that include heart rate data are:

• Fitbit's have many studies using them and Quantified Scientist says that they are one of the most accurate ones. Fitbit devices typically record continuously while worn.
• Apple Watch of all generations include a heart rate sensor. During normal wearing they only sample heart rate data every few minutes but provide continuous data during workout recordings. Additionally, more recent models also include the option to record ECG.
• The Xiaomi Mi Band are a cheaper option. But according to DG's (talk) experience with the miband6 they are still not perfect at measuring HR during exercise.
• The Polar Verity Sense sits on the upper arm.

Finger

There are devices that also use pulse oximetry but are worn on a finger, rather than on the wrist, in this sense they are similar to medical devices that use pulse oximetry.

• The Oura Ring mostly records heart rate data during rest and sleep. Since the 3rd generation of the device it also measures throughout the day and can additionally support workout recordings.
• Contec Medical System 50F/CMS50f. According to DG's (talk) experience, they are bulky to wear and not accurate during movement but accurate during rest.
• Wellue (not recommended by DG (talk))
• The Biostrap is rather expensive ($400) but includes two heart rate sensors and many others.
• Welltory Can detect HRV when finger is placed in front of phone camera.

Chest Straps

Chest straps are considered the gold standard for measuring heart rate during exercise but do not work well for continuous monitoring in particular during sleep as they are typically not comfortable to wear in bed.

Many manufacturers offer chest straps, including:

• Garmin
• Polar
• Wahoo
• QardioCore
• Coospo

Few Lead ECG Patch

These devices make us of electrocardiograms and are based on electrical pulses. Some devices are designed to only record spot-measurements, while others are designed to collect longitudinal data. For these latter to work they have to be temporarily glued on to a patch of skin, typically on the chest.

Due to their design these are more comfortable to wear than chest straps and can be used for recording data during sleep, but as they require to be stuck onto the skin with temporary glue, these might be less appropriate for continuous longitudinal data collect for more than a few days at a time.

As such they might be less appropriate for long-term data collection, similar to chest straps.

There are a few options for few/single-lead ECGs:

• Omron KardiaMobile EKG, a small device to do spot-measurements, not continuous recordings
• uECG Open Source ($100), worn on the chest with sticky patches, records continuously
• VivaLNK
• Hexoskin ($600), includes many other sensors.

Medical Multi Lead Holster

Similar to the few-lead ECG patches above but these are typically tested medical devices that are used for long-term ECGs where the device is worn for up to 1-2 weeks. They are expensive and very bulky and less accessible for individuals outside the healthcare system.

• Contec makes one for about $400, can sometimes be found on ebay or alibaba

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Tools related to this topic
Apple Watch, Bangle.js, Biostrap, Coospo, Emfit, Fitbit, Oura Ring, Personal Science (book), Polar