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Abnormal Heart Rate Monitor ReadingsWhat to do? The first thing to do is not panic. There should be a logical explanation somewhere, Now where is it ... Seriously, with a little detective work, you should be able to determine why your heart rate monitor is giving strange readings, or no readings at all. Usually, the most frequent reason for poor monitor readings is due to poor contact between the skin and the electrodes of the transmitter. For good readings, there needs to be good contact from EKG signals from your chest to your receiver. Heart rate monitors are placed around the chest because that is where the strongest signals come from. If you have just started exercising, you might not have enough moisture on the transmitter to form a good contact between your heart rate to your chest transmitter. Let me explain. Have you ever been told to NOT use an electric hairdryer in the bathtub? There's a good reason for that. The water in the tub is a good conductor of electricity. If your were to drop the plugged in haridryer (your heart) into the tub, your body (the receiver) would get the jolt of a lifetime ... and you might not live to tell about it. Your heart monitor works in a similar way. You need some moisture between the chest transmitter and your skin to allow for a good, strong signal to travel to the receiver. If you need to improve the signal, simply moisten the transmitter before you put it on to improve the signal. This is usually the reason a heart rate monitor gives abnormal readings. Make your there is good contact and you should have good readings. |
