Max Heart Rate on Garmin Edge 800 - Unusual Spike

[Dansky]

Yesterday, while doing some intervals at maximum speed (into the wind), I wore my heart rate monitor to check my stats after the ride. During one of my maximum efforts, the HR literally spiked at 213 bpm- probably for millesecond or something. Typically, I read my top HR at about 192, and my resting rate is about 50; although I haven't checked the low rate in a year or so.

Is this something that I should be concerned about? That seems awfully high to be healthy, but I wanted others' opinions before I get concerned enough to go see a doctor, or something crazy like that.

*Some background: I'm a 47 old former long-distance runner, and live healthy with regard to diet and exercise. In fact, I just had a physical (for life insurance) and they gave me their top "preferred select" tier, so I figured I may be doing something right. A few years back I had a cardio stress test, and there was nothing abnormal in the results.

 

[doss]

Don't worry if it was only a millisecond it is usually a sensor error.. Mine does it when the battery gets low Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by Dansky
Is this something that I should be concerned about?

Heart rate sipkes tend to be real unlike cadence spikes.

I have had my heart rate go from 170 or so to 220 and then drop back down. I could feel the event. Close examination of data showed that for 10 beats my heart rate went up and then 10 beats down to normal.

Never happened again. Yet.

I would not worry about it.

 

[maydog]

Technically a 213 bpm HR could not last for 1ms, 213 equates to an R to R interval of about 280 milli-seconds.

A HRM is not medical grade equipment. It works by sensing electrical potentials which are usually caused by cardiac depolarization. I say usually because there are a lot of opportunities for error and interference. Movement of the strap, double counting or EMI could all lend to false readings.

If your heart rate were pathologically high, you would have had some symptoms - at intense work levels I would suspect that you wouldn't be able to tolerate an arrhythmia very well.

 

[swampy1970]

Check you weren't riding close to high voltage overhead power lines when the event occoured.

 

[ambal]

Originally Posted by swampy1970
Check you weren't riding close to high voltage overhead power lines when the event occoured.

That and replace your batteries if they're getting old. Keep in mind, replacing batteries isn't as simple as it would seem. You need to re-pair the strap and garmin device, so google a howto prior to doing it.

 

[Bigpikle]

flapping lycra builds up static and this can cause all sorts of weird readings on HRMs. Either use a baselayer of some type or jerseys with a natural element like a component of merino. I used to get it all the time but now it almost never happens when I realised what was causing it.

 

[ambal]

Originally Posted by Bigpikle
flapping lycra builds up static and this can cause all sorts of weird readings on HRMs. Either use a baselayer of some type or jerseys with a natural element like a component of merino. I used to get it all the time but now it almost never happens when I realised what was causing it.

Thats interesting, I never considered that. Yesterday I did a crit and one side of the circut ran along some high voltage powerlines for maybe 400m, every lap my HR spiked to 250 then dropped to 140-150 once we turned away from them. It was basically adding 100bpm to my readings, even warming up it said 150bpm as I was getting on my bike. I've never had that much interference before.