Heart rate monitors used to be exclusively operated by physicians and nurses alone but that was soon rectified with today’s multi-tasking generation. Every person seemed to want to know about everything that was related to them and that of course included monitoring their heartbeats.
What is a Heart Monitor
Also known as a cardiac
monitor, a heart monitor is a piece of electronic equipment that can be used to
track or observe heart functions continuously. It allows people to place a
numerical value on their healthiness based on their heart rate and have a
target heart rate to work for. The more complex versions of the heart monitor
allow physicians to see any signs of deterioration or improvement and make the
necessary adjustments immediately.
Types of Heart Monitors
Today, heart monitors
are produced by the millions and designed to cater to specific types of
individuals. Some heart monitors are primarily designed for weight loss
programs while others are meant for the use of athletes or fitness programs. Some
are wireless or come as a built-in feature of exercise equipment like a
treadmill or an exercise bike. It can be strapped to your wrist or of
considerable size. It may or may not emit any electromagnetic waves, depending
on its purpose. A fetal heart monitor, for instance, must not produce any waves
at all as this may affect the health of the baby.
Factors on Selecting the
Best Heart Monitor for You
ECG-Accurate Monitors
with Chest Straps – Heart monitors that come with chest straps are more often
not the most accurate of heart monitors. The chest strap is strapped around
your chest, a few centimeters below your breast. It contains a device that’s
able to detect electrical activity of your heart and transmit it to the brain
of the machine – just like an ECG. The results are shown on the display
monitor, which most of the times is attached to your wrist like a watch. Others
however prefer results to be transmitted through audio messages via earphones.
Upon choosing heart
monitors with chest straps, you need to remember to keep the strap constantly
connected to your body lest you want the heart monitor to produce inaccurate
readings.
Lastly, the only
alternative against buying heart monitors with chest straps are the ones that
rely on pulses on your fingertips. These however do not provide readings as
accurate as those with chest straps.
Heart Monitor Features –
Basic and lower-end models tend to display only your heart rate and maybe the
elapsed exercise time as well. This of course does not provide sufficient
information if you want to know exactly how much you need to improve before you
can be qualified as a completely healthy individual. Higher-end models will
naturally offer a wider range of features – for a price. Examples of such
features are – but not limited to – heart rate zone alarms, timers and the number
of calories burned. It may also allow users to set pre-programmed workouts
along with a targeted heart rate.
Ease of Use – Lastly,
you must purchase a heart rate monitor that you will have no problems with
using. What good would a high-end heart monitor do if it takes you an hour to
operate it? Are the numbers and words appearing in the heart rate monitor
readable? Can it be used in no-light situations? Are buttons well-labeled and
ergonomically positioned?
To Buy or Not to Buy a
Heart Monitor
Heart monitors can be
especially costly, more so if you are intent on purchasing higher-end models.
If you have a limited budget, you should ask yourself whether or not you truly
need to buy a heart monitor. You can of course purchase one of the lower-end
models but low-quality heart monitors can lead to inaccurate results and that
sort of defeats the purpose of buying one.
If you are intent on
purchasing a heart monitor, you need to ask yourself another question: do you
need to make a solo purchase or is it alright with you to use the heart monitor
that comes as a built-in feature of a treadmill? Lastly, you should remember as
well that you can always pay your doctor regular visits and have him monitor
your heart rate for you.