Smartwatch health monitoring

[catweazle]

A couple  of years ago I was given a nifty smartwatch as a Christmas  present.   I really like it  overall.

It has multiple features ( some of which I don't use), and amongst them are a few health related functions, like pulse rate, oxygen saturation levels and blood pressure.

I've had (controlled) hypertension for over 20 years now, and my meds keep it nicely under  control.

I am well aware that the smartwatch measurements aren't clinically accurate, but I've found them pretty good - the heartbeat rate is virtually  spot on.  The BP one usually is also fairly close to a true reading.

Over the last few days, however, the BP readings have been really screwy - like 204/97 ( instead of my usual 145/77 ish).

I'm due a regular recheck formally at the GP next Monday, but, in the meantime, I was wondering  if any UKPers have smartwatches which give accurate (or otherwise) health readings?

[RandomGuy99]

Which SmartWatch have you got?

I use one and it seems pretty accurate but mine doesn't do blood pressure.

[lostandfound]

I wear a Garmin which monitors heart rate and Pulse Ox via an optical sensor.

If the Pulse Ox was accurate I'd be dead several times over.

The HR seems quite accurate to me, though I know if I go on a running forum I will see many posts rubbishing its accuracy.

Even though the HR reading seems good, when I go out for a run I wear a chest strap because that is a gold standard for measuring HR.

I think the conventional response is if you are concerned go see your GP which you are doing anyway. 

If I wanted to monitor my BP I would get one of the Omicron machines which are less than the cost of a punt and as with a chest strap for HR, are similarly a gold standard for measuring BP.

[daviemac]

I wear a Garmin which monitors heart rate and Pulse Ox via an optical sensor.

If the Pulse Ox was accurate I'd be dead several times over.

The HR seems quite accurate to me, though I know if I go on a running forum I will see many posts rubbishing its accuracy.

Even though the HR reading seems good, when I go out for a run I wear a chest strap because that is a gold standard for measuring HR.

I think the conventional response is if you are concerned go see your GP which you are doing anyway. 

If I wanted to monitor my BP I would get one of the Omicron machines which are less than the cost of a punt and as with a chest strap for HR, are similarly a gold standard for measuring BP.

Think you mean Omron BP machine.  I use a Kinetik one (costs less than £40) and check my BP at least once a week, it's quite accurate as it tallies with readings taken at medical examinations. My doctor also accepts the readings if I have to monitor my BP.

I also use a Biosync pulse oximeter most days to keep an eye on my sats.

[8MillionDollarMan]

I wouldn't trust a smartwatch to be very accurate for HR or BP they just seem to do a lot of things but not very well.
As has been said a proper BP monitor costs very little and a HR monitor with strap not too dear either,might as well do these things properly.

[myothernameis]

I wouldn't trust a smartwatch to be very accurate for HR or BP they just seem to do a lot of things but not very well.
As has been said a proper BP monitor costs very little and a HR monitor with strap not too dear either,might as well do these things properly.

I have a heart rate monitor, which monitors my heart 24/7, but at first my doctor wasn't convinced on this monitor readings.  So I was sent for a ecg treadmill test, and kept my monitor connected, the reading matched up

So now my doctor quite willing to accept, ecg reading from me, when I think there a problem, with my heart that needs looked in to 

I have other health monitors, like blood pressure monitor, and a oxygen monitor, and take regular readings, morning and night, and send these reading monthly to my doctor

These devices aren't meant to monitor problems with you health, but they do a good, and close job, for instance.

One night I was having problems with my breathing, and ecg showed my heart rate at 115 bpm, blood pressure 185/96, sp02 was 94%, by morning every thing was normal

[lostandfound]

Think you mean Omron BP machine.  I use a Kinetik one (costs less than £40) and check my BP at least once a week, it's quite accurate as it tallies with readings taken at medical examinations. My doctor also accepts the readings if I have to monitor my BP.

I also use a Biosync pulse oximeter most days to keep an eye on my sats.

Indeed so - apologies! 

[RandomGuy99]

I thought you had to measure blood pressure at the level of your heart, so they use a cuff on your arm?

Otherwise you're not measuring the pressure of the blood through your heart.

[catweazle]

Just as a quick update, I called into my local pharmacy, where I had a "proper" BP check.  164/79, so a little high. ( The watch said 204/79 at the same time). Seeing the GP on Monday in case the meds need adjusting

[RandomGuy99]

You can gets a Boots blood pressure monitor for £21.50 or less and it's actually made by Omron and it's cheaper than the Omron branded one.

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[PepeMAGA]

Just as a quick update, I called into my local pharmacy, where I had a "proper" BP check.  164/79, so a little high. ( The watch said 204/79 at the same time). Seeing the GP on Monday in case the meds need adjusting

Maybe they should just have low, average and high for the BP reading? It seems like it picked up that it was too high, albeit inaccurate

[catweazle]

Just as an update, saw the practice  nurse at the GP today.  BP reading ( checked twice 5 minutes apart) 120/70.  No issues!

[RandomGuy99]

Just as an update, saw the practice  nurse at the GP today.  BP reading ( checked twice 5 minutes apart) 120/70.  No issues!

What happened to make it go so high?

[myothernameis]

Just as an update, saw the practice  nurse at the GP today.  BP reading ( checked twice 5 minutes apart) 120/70.  No issues!

It just like this, you go to your GP, and get your blood pressure checked, and its ok

[Pillowtalk]

Just as a quick update, I called into my local pharmacy, where I had a "proper" BP check.  164/79, so a little high. ( The watch said 204/79 at the same time). Seeing the GP on Monday in case the meds need adjusting

What is a GP please?

[8MillionDollarMan]

What is a GP please?

Really? General practitioner the the doctor you see at your local surgery.

[Pillowtalk]

Really? General practitioner the the doctor you see at your local surgery.

'the doctor you don't see at my local surgery' I cannot imagine how ill you would need to be to see an actual GP at my surgery. The work seems to be done entirely by nurses and health care assistants.

[RandomGuy99]

What brand of smart watch was it?

[jackdaw]

'the doctor you don't see at my local surgery' I cannot imagine how ill you would need to be to see an actual GP at my surgery. The work seems to be done entirely by nurses and health care assistants.

Mine has a neat system.

First you have to convince the receptionist that you need a doctors help.

If you pass that hurdle they arrange for a GP to phone you, maybe if they are a good mood they give you a clue as to which day that might be.
 
If you don’t answer the call when it comes within 3 rings, the GP rings off. You have missed your appointment. (Of course, a couple of times, I’ve rung the practice immediately, within seconds of the missed call, and asked to speak to the doctor. The stern reply is “the doctor calls you, you can’t call the doctor.)

If you do answer phone within the 3 rings, you then have a brief conversation with the GP, and it becomes obvious that the receptionist has got reason you asked to see the doctor completely wrong.

Then at some point the doctor says “obviously I need to see you, contact reception to get an appointment”. The second loop round the system usually does result in a meeting…a few weeks in the future.

It’s not the service it was before Covid. Not at my GP’s, anyway.

[jackdaw]

Back on topic. I’ve got a very old Apple Watch, it doesn’t measure bp, but does monitor heart rate (accurate I think), various forms of exercise I do (steps walked at what speed is one obvious one), sleeping pattern, etc.

In the early months I used it wasn’t that impressed (wore it for other reasons than monitoring health), but after 6 months of wearing it most days…so it had time to build up a database on my normal health and routine…found it very good at spotting trends.