In January, Fitbit updated the device I use to quantify my physical activity with the new Charge HR, the first I have used with a sensor that monitors the heart rate. But rather than give my opinion on the device, which many other people have already done, I’d like to comment on the interesting effects of what I call “cardioawareness”: the feelings and thoughts that occur to us while wearing a heart rate monitor on a constant basis.
You might say I have a delicate relationship with my heart. It’s never given me any problems, but I keep an eye on it, and have done for several years. At my age, my father had already suffered a couple of angina pectoris, which prompted me to look after my health more. The fact that somebody in my family had these antecedents in no way means I am destined to inherit them; that said, my doctors have paid a bit more attention to my heart than they might otherwise have done. But otherwise, my heart works well, and my father, despite the constant arrhythmias, also enjoys reasonable health for his age.
The image above shows my basal frequency, or my average heart rate while I sleep, since January 21. While sleeping, my frequency tends to be pretty stable: around 60 beats per minutes. But over the last few days, I have gone from a slight increase to something quite notably higher. This set off the alarm on February 2, and I began to feel my heart rate increase…
