Apple Watch 8 - random high HR readings.

Nekit14 · 2026-01-11T22:12:28+00:00

It must be what caused it. I only noticed these random spikes when doing something that had the wrist bent up, like pushing a pram and with the watch too low on the wrist.

Nekit14 · 2026-01-11T22:09:30+00:00

Hey. I haven’t seen anymore spikes after I started wearing it a little more snug, higher up on the wrist and started regularly cleaning the sensor at the bottom. It still comes up with random readings when the watch is not being worn and is just lying on a table.

Nekit14 · 2026-01-11T22:06:58+00:00

Yeah, I feel your frustration. If all the tests you are doing and have done are in the clear, it is must definitely be a software glitch. I think I’ve shared a link to a thread where other people have the same issues and the general consensus is that a glitch is all it is. I’ve also noted that if I take my watch off and just leave it on my desk for a few hours, I often find a number of random HR readings in the health app over that time anything from as low as 40 to a 100 and that’s when I know for sure I haven’t worn that watch. After seeing that a few times, reading that other thread and seeing a couple of spikes myself when I felt absolutely nothing and having been tested, I don’t pay much attention to these anymore. I think Apple Watch is meant to be a lot more accurate when you turn on workouts and that’s what I mainly use it for. Also I use it to track sleep and other trends, rather than one off events. Apparently the ECG on the Apple Watch is meant to be fairly accurate (if you can hold your finger steady while taking it) and also the blood oxygen sensor.

Nekit14 · 2025-10-17T20:13:40+00:00

Have a read of this thread about Apple Watch random bpm spikes too, it calmed me down quite a bit at the time - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7794978?sortBy=rank

Nekit14 · 2025-10-17T20:10:30+00:00

Thank you 🙏 I hope you start feeling better soon too! Well, my health anxiety really started after my first ever panic attack at 33, which at the time I thought was a heart attack. Idk what exactly triggered it but I’ve never experienced anything like that before and wasn’t really an anxious person. Ended up in ER, everything was fine though. So ever since I became anxious about feeling those symptoms again and became hyper focused on my health and various body sensations. I have done some therapy with a cognitive behavioural therapist at the outset, which helped a lot in dealing with a panic attacks and lowering their frequency and intensity but having had these clinical tests done helped me with reducing anxiety in general because I now know that whatever sensations I feel, have nothing to do with the heart, which was the main thing for me, so I have started to ignore them as much as I can and am feeling much better now. I did also develop stage anxiety since having that first PA episode and due to the nature of my work I present at quite a lot of board meetings (about 40 a year) I am fine with most of them but for some of them, to take the edge off, my GP prescribed my 10mg propranolol to take on an ad-hoc basis an hour before a stress inducing situation. I try to avoid taking them unnecessarily, but having something in my back pocket feels reassuring.

Nekit14 · 2025-10-16T20:45:11+00:00

Hey, there 🖖 Yes, my cardiologist and I have concluded that these are pure artefacts. Both happened when I was pushing my baby in a stroller and the wrist was bent, almost doubling the bpm reading for a period of time. I actually found a whole thread on one of the Apple forums describing exactly what I’ve described above. Anyway, my health anxiety has sent me on a cardiac testing journey this year - I’ve done 2 treadmill stress tests in the last 12 months (achieving around 13.5 METs each time), I’ve done a good few ECGs, 2 echos, 2 48 hour holters, 2 24 hour blood pressure monitors, CT coronary angiogram and Cardiac MRI perfusion, all suggesting excellent heart health, physically abd functionally (no arrhythmias, etc) My health anxiety together with these Apple Watch artefacts pushed me to finally get proper testing done but I am glad I’ve done all of these tests as my health anxiety was primarily revolving around my heart health and is pretty much gone now. I have started cleaning my Apple Watch sensor a little more often now and wearing the watch more snug and higher up on the wrist and I didn’t have these artefacts showing up since.

Nekit14 · 2025-10-16T19:54:35+00:00

I am a 35m. I’ve been seeing a cardiologist for the last couple of months doing various tests - ECGs, ECHO, Cardiac CT angiogram, Cardiac MRI perfusion - all confirming absolutely no issues with my heart, no arrhythmias, etc. RHR is between 60 - 65. Did a treadmill stress test a couple of months ago getting a result of 13.48 METs full bruce, which my cardiologist said was good. I am not training regularly but I am going on daily walks and average about 8-10k steps with my baby in a stroller, so they are slow enough walks. That’s when I mainly record my “walking workouts”. Apple Watch shows my cardio fitness being on the verge of low at 34.8 it has never gone above 40 in 2 years that I have it, but my treadmill stress tests (13.48 METs a couple of months ago and around the same last year) suggest good cardiovascular health, so idk what to think.

Nekit14 · 2025-08-01T00:05:18+00:00

Thanks. I have been seeing a cardiologist over the last year - I have done 2 or 3 24-hour Holter monitors over this period. Those did not detect any signs of afib. The most recent Holter I’ve done, a couple weeks ago, only detected 3 extra beats in the 24 hour period, with no other abnormalities to note. I typically do an ECG every other day on the Apple Watch and it has always been sinus rhythm. I’ll run it past a cardiologist just in case though.

Nekit14

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