Abnormal heart rate alert

First of all, I am not a doctor and a Garmin is not a medical device so if you suspect anything is wrong with your heart you should see a medical professional (just getting that disclaimer out of the way).

That said, the alert lets you know if your heart rate goes above or below set thresholds while inactive for at least 10 minutes. These thresholds can be set by the user and if not set right false alarms are possible. Take a look in the settings and see what the alert thresholds are set at.It's also just purely heart rate as measured by the optical sensor, it does not have an ECG and so it is not checking the actual rhythm or doing any in depth heart analysis. So anything that effects heart rate while at rest can trigger it, including stress, caffeine, certain medications, etc.

Thank you Paul, very helpful. My resting heart rate is around 60 and the abnormal heart rate was set up at 100 bpm which I is the default setting and I think it sounds about right if you are inactive? It could have been caffeine but I normally drink coffee and I only had one cup. Anyway, thanks for the comments, will keep an eye out.

It's very individual what a normal resting heart rate is though for most 100 while inactive would probably be considered high. Though I've seen mine go over 100 when inactive depending on the circumstances. If I've had a hard workout that day it'll sometimes go above 100 for a bit at times as my body recovers, also if I'm sleep deprived, stressed, or getting sick. But that's just me and everyone is different.

Also, forgot to mention, remember that optical heart rate, especially at the wrist, isn't always the most accurate. So it is possible to get false readings sometimes.

Just to add to this. I’d guess that if you were working at your computer your wrists would have been flexed. If the watch was a bit loose and close to the wrist bone that could have affected the reading too. While WHR does not work for everyone for a myriad of reasons, the most common culprit is how the watch is worn.

I get this alert a few times a month too. Usually for >100bpm. It's normally while I'm working at my computer, shortly after a hard run. I think a combination of slow recovery rate and stress-induced high heart rate. 

K2 said:

I think a combination of slow recovery rate and stress-induced high heart rate.

Could well be the case however, how long after your run before you sit down at the computer? How active are you? What is your usual resting heart rate? How long does your heart rate take to recover normally?

K2 said:

It's normally while I'm working at my computer

As noted it could also be due to your wrist flexing. Perhaps make a note of where the watch is when you next get an alert.

Thank you, all good points which I'll keep in mind. 

if you do get a couple more and there is nothing to suggest  a reason (i.e. cool down / food / caffeine etc), you may want to just check in with your doctor. in UK there is of course no charge for this, however I am aware in some countries this would cost you, but then we are talking about your health, and 40bpm spikes are unusual when no reason. You also might want to push the abnormal alert to 110 as 100 can be considered normal.

Are there any other symptons i.e. dizziness, tiredness etc - take those into account as to whether its worth checking with yoru doctor.

jaamgans said:

if you do get a couple more and there is nothing to suggest  a reason

Take a manual pulse immediately to check anytime you believe your watch is being economical with the truth.