We teach you step by step how to measure heart rate from Apple Watch and everything you need to know about this health feature
He Apple Watch is a very complete device in terms of health and integrates advanced sensors to measure, among other things, our cardiac frequency. The Apple Watch can measure the beats of our chlorination per second and keep strict control, as well as alert us if it detects a problem.
Here you will find Everything you need to know about heart rate monitoring from Apple Watch. From how to do it to what the sensors are, how often they are measured and whether the results are reliable.
How Apple Watch measures your heart rate
He Apple Watch integrates an optical heart rate sensor which uses a technology called photoplethysmography. This method is based on a simple principle: blood is red because it reflects red light and absorbs green light. So, the Apple Watch uses green LED lights along with light-sensitive photodiodes to measure the amount of blood flowing through your wrist.
Apple Watch measures heart rate its flashing green LED lights up hundreds of times per second
When does Apple Watch measure your heart rate?
The Apple Watch doesn’t measure your heart rate constantly, as that would use up a lot of battery, so it does it at certain times of the day. When you start a workout, your heart rate is measured continuously and three minutes after the end, to determine the frequency of recovery after physical exercise.
As the day goes on, Apple Watch performs various heart rate measurements in the background depending on your activity, the time between these measurements will vary. Apple doesn’t wash them every time they are made, but it is enough to know the frequency of daily inactivity.
How to measure heart rate with Apple Watch
Even though the Apple Watch measures your heart rate throughout the day, you can still Accurately measure your heart rate anytime with the Heart Rate app included in the Apple Watch.
- On Apple Watch, access the Apps menu by pressing the Digital Crown.
- Locate the app with a heart.
- When you open it, Apple Watch will start measuring your heart rate.
- After a few seconds, your beats per minute will appear.
Enable heart rate notifications
He Apple Watch can alert you when your heart rate stays above or below a certain number
- On your iPhone, go to the Watch app.
- Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Heart.
- Tap Frequency. High heart rate and select the number of bpm.
- Tap Frequency. Low heart rate and select the BPM number.
Enable irregular rhythm notifications
The Apple Watch can also alert you to an irregular heartbeat, which could be a symptom of heart problems. Here’s what you need to do to enable them:
- Open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Browse tab and go to Heart > Irregular Rhythm Notifications to turn them on.
- Now go to the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, go to Heart > Irregular Rhythm and turn on the switch.
How to view your heart rate on a graph on your Apple Watch or iPhone
The Apple Watch records everything you heart rate data history and you can view it anytime. This can be very subtle to track our health or to show it to a professional if a problem or disease is detected. It is therefore interesting to be able to access all the recordings of measurements of our heartbeats.
You can access this data from Apple Watch and iPhone:
- From Apple Watch:
- Open the Heart Rate app.
- Turn the Digital Crown to Interval, “Resting Rate,” or “Avg. Walk” to view your heart rate throughout the day.
- From iPhone:
- Open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Tap Explore > Heart.
- You can view your heart rate for the last hour, day, week, month or year
Why doesn’t the Apple Watch measure heart rate?
As we mentioned earlier, the Apple Watch monitors your heart rate from the Heart Rate app, during training but also during breathing and reflection sessions. But if you’ve noticed that Apple Watch has stopped measuring your heart rate, and you’ve probably turned that feature off. Here’s how to reactivate it:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Go to Privacy & Security > Health.
- Tap “Heart Rate” and turn on the switch.
Are Apple Watch heart rate measurements accurate and reliable?
Apple Watch Deals optimal, fairly accurate and reliable heart rate readings for most users provided the device is properly placed on the user’s wrist. Although it is true that Apps warns that even in perfect conditions, the Apple Watch may not be able to get a reliable heart rate reading at all times and in all people.
He Apple Watch is one of the best watches on the market in terms of health sensors. A device that can not only measure heart rate, but it also has the ability to perform electrocardiograms or measure blood oxygen levels directly from the wrist.
You can follow iPadized on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter (X) or check out our Telegram channel to stay up to date with the latest tech news.
Table of Contents