Gifts From (and For) the Heart
Feb 4, 2022
It鈥檚 Heart Month, which makes heart-related gifts come to mind as Valentine鈥檚 Day approaches. We talked with Northwest Regional Heart & Vascular cardiologist Dr. Tony Chen about heart gadgets that are getting a lot of press these days. Here鈥檚 what he had to say.
Heart rate monitors
From wrist monitors on smartwatches to chest straps worn during exercise, heart rate monitors come in various forms. In simple terms, they give your current heart rate without your having to find your pulse and count beats while you time yourself.
Depending on the monitor, this information may also feed into a fitness app on your phone so you can check how quickly your heart rate returns to normal after exercise, which is one measurement of your overall fitness.
But keep in mind that knowing your current heart rate isn鈥檛 enough. 鈥淗eart rate is very dynamic and responds to what you are doing at that moment in time,鈥� explains Dr. Chen. 鈥淭hat is why knowing your heart rate alone is not clinically meaningful unless you pair that information with the circumstances at the time the heart rate was taken.鈥�
Wearable fitness trackers
Many of today鈥檚 fitness trackers include heart rate monitors. 鈥淗eart rate monitoring technologies are relatively common and straightforward,鈥� says Dr. Chen. 鈥淪pecifically for the Fitbit and Apple Watch, they have demonstrated both accuracy and precision.鈥�
While having that heart rate information handy, the heart rate information may be most interesting to athletes while they鈥檙e training. For everyday people, Dr. Chen says some of the other features 鈥� like tracking steps and sleep patterns 鈥� may be the more useful.
That said, people with specific conditions may need to know their heart rates. For example, Dr. Chen points out, people with 鈥� a type of heart arrhythmia 鈥� can share their average heart rate with their doctor to help determine if their medications are at the right level.
Similarly, knowing your heart rate at the time of a heart symptom like palpitations provides some useful information for your doctor. 鈥淏ut that only provides half of the information,鈥� says Dr. Chen. 鈥淚n addition to the heart rate, cardiologists also like to know the heart rhythm, which is arguably more important and could only be determined by an electrocardiogram.鈥�
Portable EKG monitors
That brings us to personal, portable EKG monitors like KardiaMobile. These gadgets offer a look at your heart rhythm, not just your heart rate. 鈥淎s a cardiologist, I think home EKG monitors are pretty cool,鈥� says Dr. Chen.
Are they for everyone? Dr. Chen thinks probably not. But for those with heart rhythm issues, they could provide useful information. 鈥淚t may be helpful to have a home EKG monitor so they could attempt to capture what their heart electrical conduction system was doing at the time of their symptoms,鈥� Dr. Chen explains.
This information can be especially helpful when symptoms come and go and may not show up during an in-clinic EKG. A personal EKG may also help people with established heart rhythm disease, like atrial fibrillation, who have symptoms and want to know if they are actively in atrial fibrillation.
Home blood pressure monitors
Blood pressure monitors may not seem as high-tech as fitness trackers and EKG monitors, but don鈥檛 overlook this tool when you鈥檙e looking for a heart-smart Valentine鈥檚 gift.
Home blood pressure monitors are generally reliable, according to Dr. Chen, but fit is everything. 鈥淚 also advise my patients to buy blood pressure cuffs that fit around the upper arm (as opposed to the wrist), as I find them to be more accurate,鈥� he says.
Once you get a blood pressure monitor, bring it with you to your doctor鈥檚 or nurse practitioner鈥檚 office to check your machine鈥檚 number against a manual measurement. 鈥淎s long as the numbers match up within a reasonable range, we are good to go,鈥� says Dr. Chen.
He also suggests measuring your blood pressure several times each week. 鈥淎 blood pressure trend provides more meaningful information for a clinician than a one-time measurement,鈥� Dr. Chen explains. He recommends tracking your blood pressure in a log so your provider can review the trend to help make a better treatment plan.
Beyond the tech
While Cupid collects his bow and arrows, don鈥檛 get completely lost in health technology. Some of the most heart-healthy gifts you can give are truly simple, like:
- Meals rich with fruits and vegetables.
- 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
- Regular exercise.
- Age- and health-appropriate screenings.
- Meaningful connection with other people.
If you or a loved one has a heart concern and you鈥檇 like to visit with Dr. Chen or another of our cardiologists, just give us a call:
