The devices have also saved lives by revealing heart conditions. According to She Knows, one teen learned through a Fitbit that her resting heart rate had increased from 84 to more than 200 beats per minute. This helped doctors to find an underlying – and potentially fatal -- heart condition.
"The doctors said that if I hadn't phoned for an ambulance when I did and if I wasn't wearing my Fitbit to track my heart rate, I could have suffered a heart attack/cardiac arrest and could have died," the teen, named Sarah-Jayne, tells She Knows. "As soon as I got to hospital, they hooked me on all these machines and did some blood tests, and they have found an issue with my heart. Apparently one pathway from one chamber to the heart from the other was misfiring,g and instead of the chambers beating one after another like it normally should, they were beating at the exact same time, which was causing my heart rate to increase."
So next time you’re on a health kick, remember these handy little devices. In truth, they make setting a goal of living a healthy lifestyle more fun. You, too, will find yourself discussing those cherished 10,000 steps with your friends.