Why Tracking Your Heart Rate Could Be Making Your CFS Symptoms Worse
Introduction: Is Your Fitbit Fueling Your Anxiety?
If you’ve been living with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or a hypersensitive nervous system, chances are you’ve considered using a Fitbit or heart rate monitor to stay on top of your symptoms—especially high heart rate, dizziness, and lightheadedness.
But here’s the surprising truth:
Tracking your heart rate might actually be keeping you stuck in the illness.
In this post, we’ll explain why using a heart rate monitor can increase anxiety, worsen symptoms, and actually train your brain to fear recovery. And most importantly, we’ll offer a better path forward.
Why High Heart Rate Feels So Scary With CFS
One of the most common and frightening symptoms of CFS and long COVID is a fast heart rate, especially when standing or doing basic movements. It often shows up as:
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Heart racing after standing up
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Fatigue after showers or light walking
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Cold hands and feet
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Dizziness or lightheadedness
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Panic attacks out of nowhere
You may have POTS-like symptoms (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), even without a formal diagnosis. And because your body feels unsafe, your brain becomes hyper-aware of every beat.
The Fitbit Trap: When Tracking Turns Into Fear
Here’s the issue:
You buy a Fitbit or heart rate monitor hoping to feel more in control…
But every time you check it, it tells you what you’re afraid of.
Your heart rate is high—maybe 95, 100, 115—and you panic.
You try to calm down, but it only makes things worse.
Suddenly, you’re stuck in this loop:
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Heart rate rises →
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You check the Fitbit →
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You worry more →
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Heart rate goes even higher
“A Fitbit is like a handcuff to the illness. The more you look, the more you fear. And the more you fear, the worse it gets.”
— Junior, Recovery Jumpstart Coach
This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The symptom you’re trying to fix becomes the very thing you’re feeding.
Why This Happens: It’s a Nervous System Issue
A key thing to understand is that high heart rate in CFS isn’t always a heart problem—it’s a nervous system regulation issue.
When your nervous system is stuck in sympathetic overdrive (fight-or-flight), your body is constantly on alert, and the heart rate reflects that.
This is why even thinking about your symptoms—or fearing them—can trigger real physical reactions like:
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Fast heartbeat
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Shortness of breath
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Shaky limbs
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Panic or dread
But when you keep checking your heart rate, you’re reinforcing the message:
“I’m in danger. My body can’t be trusted. Something’s wrong.”
Why Ditching the Monitor Might Be the Healthiest Move
If you’ve already had multiple normal heart tests, and your doctors can’t find anything physically wrong, then obsessively tracking your vitals may be hurting more than helping.
Miguel shares from personal experience:
“I wore a Fitbit daily, and my heart rate just kept going up. The more I tried to control it, the worse it got. It caused more panic attacks than it ever prevented.”
Many members in the Recovery Jumpstart program report the same pattern. When they stopped tracking and focused on nervous system healing instead, heart rate normalized on its own.
✅ Important: If you’ve been medically advised to track your heart rate due to a diagnosed condition—follow your doctor’s instructions.
But if everything checks out, and your only diagnosis is CFS, anxiety, or dysautonomia with normal tests, it may be time to set the tracker aside.
What to Focus on Instead
Here’s how to take back control without the numbers:
🧠 1. Rewire Your Brain’s Response to the Symptoms
Train yourself to respond to high heart rate with calm and curiosity, not fear. The more neutral you become, the faster symptoms fade.
🌬 2. Shift From Sympathetic to Parasympathetic Mode
Use tools like:
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Deep belly breathing
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Gratitude practice (like the subscriber highlight mentions!)
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Mindfulness and present moment awareness
🔁 3. Don’t Chase the Numbers
Let go of the need to “fix” every spike. Trust that as your nervous system regulates, your body will follow.
When It’s Safe to Track Again
Eventually, as your nervous system calms and you’re no longer afraid of symptoms, there may come a time when tracking doesn’t trigger you anymore.
But early on in recovery, especially in the sensitive stage?
A Fitbit is not your friend.
Let go of the handcuff, and let your nervous system breathe.
Subscriber Comment Highlight 💬
“Gratitude affirmations are great for getting through rough times and mitigating that downward spiral. I find that if I can find things to be grateful for in the present moment, it switches my mindset and can keep the symptoms to a minimum.”
— Ry
Such a powerful insight. Gratitude shifts the nervous system out of fear and into safety. That’s where true healing begins.