HRM's in winter

SCR Pedro

Hey there,

It always seems to be that my heart rate monitor stops registering in the winter. It suddenly goes from say, 150bpm to 80bpm, and takes several minutes to start working again.
I am sure it is because the cold wind dries the contact point, but I wear a windproof jacket.

Does anybody suffer from this, and what did you do to stop it happening? Moisturiser doesn't seem to work, nor does warm soapy water.

Cheers
Pedroski

redddraggon

Put some vaseline onto the contacts of the sensors, shouldn't have any issues then.

SCR Pedro

I'll give it a try. Cheers, mate.

campagsarge

I use ECG conductivity gel, the type they use in hospitals. Works a treat. I guess vas does the same.

Do any of your tops flap around in the wind? This could cause static around the HRM band. I found that Polar HRM's coupled with lose jersey's sent the readings all over the place on my unit.

I now use a Suunto HRM which is brilliant. I found that wearing close tops that don't flap around reduces the static and therefore erratic readings.

iga

It might also be the battery, they don't tend to perform as well in cold conditions, particularly if it's been in use for a while. A new one might restore performance if the other suggestions don't work.