Track your AF History with Apple Watch (2024)

FAQs

How do I read my AFib history on Apple Watch? ›

In that group, the risk of having Afib is low. So, even if the apple watch is wrong only a small percent of time, what ends up happening is that the alerts by the watch will be wrong 45% of the time. This has been estimated by physician-scientist Sekar Kathiresan.

A lower percentage means your heart was in AF less often, while a higher percentage means more often. Your AF History will never be displayed as 0%. Instead, it will be displayed as 2% or less. You can also tap Show Life Factors to compare a Life Factor with your AF History.

Description: The Apple Watch Series 9 is a top choice for AFib monitoring, featuring a built-in heart rate sensor and ECG app for accurate heart rhythm recording. With its sleek design and seamless integration with other Apple devices, it offers convenience and ease of use.

The study measured 412 people's stress levels across 13 years and concluded that chronically high-stress levels could lead to a cardiovascular condition or event (like a heart attack). Because stress and anxiety might cause hypertension, it is possible that they contribute to the development of AFib.

Of the 1965 patients evaluated, the median AF burden was 4.4% (1.1% to 17.2%) An AF burden of 11.4 percent or higher was associated with more than three-fold increased risk for stroke or TE event after adjusting for either CHA₂DS₂-VASc or ATRIA scores.

In adults with known atrial fibrillation, the Apple Watch had a low rate of false-positive detections and high specificity. Sensitivity for detection by participant and by AF episode was lower.

With that said, the Apple Watch ECG accuracy, while not perfect, has proven itself to be significantly reliable, and it provides a substantial benefit for people with Afib or at risk of Afib. You may even want to learn how to read an ECG.

The Takeaway. The new Apple Watch won't be able to diagnose sleep apnea. However, it may be able to detect sleep apnea symptoms, alerting you to contact your doctor for further testing. From there, an in-lab sleep study or home sleep test will be required to diagnose sleep apnea accurately.

On Apple Watch Series 1 or later, the IRNF analyzes pulse rate data collected by the photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor to identify episodes of irregular heart rhythms suggestive of AFib, and it provides a notification to the user when it detects an episode.

What are good numbers for AFib? ›

What is a Normal Heart Rate for Someone with Atrial Fibrillation? The normal heart rate for someone without A-fib typically runs from 60-100 beats per minute, while a patient with A-fib may see a heart rate jump to 100-200 beats per minute.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , approximately 2 percent of people younger than 65 years old have AFib, while about 9 percent of people ages 65 and older have it.

An Apple Watch feature designed to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) was associated with a low rate of false-positive detections and high specificity, but only modest sensitivity for detections in persons with a history of AF, according to a new study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.

Because a lot of us carry unmanaged stress around like it's necessary, palpitations can send the heart fluttering at any moment, without a moment's notice. Atrial fibrillation, aka AFib, is different. This event occurs as a result if a misfire of electrical signals to the heart.

To recognize Afib on your watch ECG, look for an irregularly irregular rhythm with fibrillatory waves instead of visible P waves.

Diagnosis – Atrial Fibrillation. The diagnosis of atrial fibrillation is confirmed with a standard 12-lead ECG. P waves are absent, coarse “fibrillatory waves” can frequently be seen and sometimes no atrial activity can be identified. The QRS complexes are “irregularly irregular”, with varying R-R intervals.

Episodes of atrial fibrillation may come and go, or they may be persistent. AFib itself usually isn't life-threatening. But it's a serious medical condition that needs proper treatment to prevent stroke.