So why the hell? Is it worth a discussion now because i’m going to be using this as my gold standard for heart rate, accuracy against all devices moving forward, so let’s first understand that wrist, worn devices like these use optical sensing to determine heart rate through a photoplathismogram or ppg? For short, i’m sure you’ve seen the green leds leak out from the underside of your devices. Basically, what devices like garmins apple, watches, the whoopstrap and just about any wrist worn device does is shoot out green and maybe, if it’s more sophisticated, it will use infrared lights into the skin. Then it has a photo detector that will measure the amount of light reflected and the difference of the amount of light projected versus what’s received from the reflection will determine through their algorithm’s blood volume, variations in the skin, and that indicates a heartbeat the polar h10 on The other hand doesn’t use optical sensing it’s, an actual ecg. It uses electrodes that detect changes in electropolarity of the heart, indicating the detection of the qrs complex, which is then used to calculate the heartbeat it’s, more direct and more accurate than optical sensing. So there’s many of these chest, straps on the market and many are excellent devices. So what makes the h10 strap better it’s the ability to de noise electrical interference during the ecg better than anyone else. Let’S first take, for example, the apple watch because i’m sure many of you are thinking about the ecg capabilities that were added to the series 4 and so on.
So what does it take to get an ecg reading? It’S a 30 second reading, in which you have to remain as still as possible, so the electrical polarity can be measured. The reason to put your finger on the dial is because the ecg requires a transmitter and a receiver, and the purpose of remaining still is to reduce any potential interference from the transmission to the reception. Now we go back to the h10 and we’re, definitely not being still. The purpose of this guy is so we can move so there’s the money maker for the polar h 10, the ability to reduce as much electrical interference as possible, which is done through the proprietary components of the device and their patented component composition and algorithms. Electrical interference can come from anywhere in the environment, from our own bodies and many times from the static from our own clothing, all of which needs to be extracted from the readings to only reveal the clean, qrs complexes and time and time again through various third party Studies, the polar chest straps have been shown to be best in class, polar, even heavily executes tests against other devices and even their own h7, which, prior to the h10, was considered to be the gold standard. Although minimal the h10 is an incremental improvement over the h7. Even against certain halter monitors, which are the more expensive, intense devices that hospital will use to take ecg readings when the user needs to be active.
The polar h10 tested better as the activity requirements for the patient increased, as did the gap of accuracy between the polar h, 10 and the halter, monitor now that’s, not to say that other chest straps and devices on the market. Aren’T good enough for everyone. But in this case, when i’m going to be testing against other devices, i need the margin of error to be as small as possible for my gold standard and also since when do we settle on good enough since getting the device i’ve taken some readings against other Devices for a video i’ll be doing next, as you can see on the graph. The polar h10 has the cleanest lines. So why don’t wrist worn devices use continuous ecg readings again it’s the requirement to have the transmitter and receiver restore devices on one arm will not be able to obtain the electrical polarity readings from the heart unless it can cross or be near the heart. The exact reason for having to put your finger of the opposite arm onto the crown of the apple watch so stay tuned for future device reviews that will be measured against the polar h 10 and, if you’re looking for a chest, strap. This is the one to buy if you want this strap and would like to support the channel. Please check out the link in the description to amazon, which is where i bought mine, also to support.ai0G302GwYc
