Fake smartwatches can detect a heartbeat on a cucumber<\/a><\/p>\nThe watch\u2019s sensors detected an \u201cirregular heart rhythm\u201d, a possible symptom of a cardiac episode. An hour later, Lim was at a cardiologist\u2019s clinic \u2013 but it was a flase alarm.<\/p>\n
With health consciousness trending and smartwatches \u00adhaving features that monitor heart health, more patients like Lim are showing up at their \u00addoctor\u2019s room concerned about signals their devices pick up.<\/p>\n
Occasional palpitations or missed beats are common even among healthy individuals and can occur during emotional situations, after exercise, during pregnancy, and from consuming caffeine or nicotine use, says consultant electrophysiologist Dr Sathvinder Singh Gian Singh (pic).<\/p>\n
Smartwatches, he said, can be a double-edged sword as they cause undue concern when they detect irregular pulses, which are no health threat.<\/p>\n
\u201cMissed heartbeats occur when there is a misfire in the heart\u2019s electrical system. While these wearable devices have helped detect more arrhythmias early, it is also making some people monitor themselves obsessively.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot every alert means danger. Sometimes what the smartwatch picks up is just a skipped beat from the effects of caffeine or \u00adnicotine. These are usually benign. Some people treat every missed beat as a crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wisest thing to do is to be assessed by a doctor to rule out arrhythmias that could be life-threatening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Palpitations that persist or are accompanied by shortness of breath, chest tightness or fainting should never be ignored, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is when you must see a doctor immediately or head to the nearest emergency room. Smartwatches have become useful diagnostic tools when patients bring ECG tracings captured during an episode but interpretations of the reading should always be left to a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse them as a guide, not a diagnosis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sathvinder, an intervention cardiologist, said that while \u00adsmoking, diabetes and high \u00adcholesterol remain the main culprits behind heart disease, there is a growing trend of stress-\u00adrelated issues as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a rise in stress due to workplace pressure and modern lifestyles. When this is combined with poor diet, lack of exercise and sleep deprivation, it starts affecting the heart\u2019s electrical system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Interventional cardiologists are the \u201cheart plumbers\u201d who treat and unclog blocked arteries, while electrophysiologists are \u201ccardio-electricians\u201d who \u00adspecialise in fixing heart rhythm disorders.<\/p>\n
Sathvinder said sleep apnea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep is a major but often overlooked \u00adtrigger of atrial fibrillation, a \u00adcommon form of irregular heartbeat that can be life-threatening if left untreated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlcohol consumption is a known trigger of atrial fibrillation and can lead to strokes and heart failure.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the heart\u2019s health also mirrors the body\u2019s overall condition as infections such as Covid-19 can also set off cardiac rhythm disturbances.<\/p>\n
Sathvinder Singh said those with existing heart disease, hypertension, heart failure or older adults are at higher risk of arrhythmias and should always seek medical attention if symptoms appear.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome arrhythmias can strike without warning and can be deadly especially in those who have underlying heart diseases such as cardiomyopathy or ischemic heart diseases.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn such cases, immediate medical attention should be sought or access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) can make a difference in the survival of the person,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PETALING JAYA: Marketing executive Jac Lim is a 38-year-old fitness freak who works out regularly at a gym.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":565026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3160],"tags":[179826,12303,27368,179824,1685,179825,179823,177677,179827,9844,4920,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-565025","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-arrhythmias","9":"tag-atrial-fibrillation","10":"tag-caffeine","11":"tag-cardiac-episode","12":"tag-gadgets","13":"tag-health-consciousness","14":"tag-irregular-heart-rhythm","15":"tag-nicotine","16":"tag-palpitations","17":"tag-smartwatches","18":"tag-stress","19":"tag-technology","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115534910364056550","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}