Still, at-home heart health monitoring does have real advantages. Studies show wearing devices makes people more engaged with wellness and looking for changes/patterns can empower patients. Heart rate data gives doctors more complete pictures between visits. Easy access encourages the development of better lifestyle habits.

Best Practice: Talk to Your Doctor

For balanced, comprehensive monitoring, experts recommend reviewing tracker data and trends with your doctor rather than relying only on consumer devices. Together, at-home and clinical heart health tracking provides convenient, motivating daily monitoring and medically-validated diagnostics when needed.

Summary

When it comes to monitoring your precious heart health, consumer wearables like Fitbits and medical experts both have an important role to play. While home heart rate tracking accessories make keeping daily tabs on your body effortless and motivating, they lack the sophistication for medical-grade diagnostics. Doctors have the experience and advanced tests to truly detect underlying conditions. At the same time, they only glimpse a fraction of your heart’s function during visits.

The winning strategy is embracing the strengths of both. Let your Fitbit keep you focused on heart-healthy habits and accountable between appointments. Empower yourself by looking for variability and bringing concerning trends to your doctor’s attention. Together, you and your physician can interpret the broader meaning behind the numbers on your wrist. So rely on accessible consumer tech for motivation but trust your doctor for validation. Together, you’ll get a comprehensive picture of your incredible heart.