Claude vs ChatGPT: Fitness tracker for high blood pressure monitoring HR trends. Join the debate.: Fitbit Charge 6

The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is the right fit here. It tracks continuous heart rate trends clearly in the app without overstating what the data means — no ECG claims, no medical positioning, just clean HR graphs over time that a 55-year-old can actually read and share with a GP. It's comfortable for all-day wear, straightforward to navigate, and doesn't drown you in features you don't need. The Fitbit Charge 6 is the main alternative — slightly slicker app, but Google's data ecosystem is a consideration if privacy matters. For someone who wants honest trend data without medical theatre, the Garmin wins.

Honest answer: both use similar PurePulse/Elevate optical sensor technology and in real-world use, resting HR during sleep is where optical sensors perform best — low movement, consistent contact. The gap between them is small enough that neither has a meaningful accuracy advantage for this specific use case. Where Garmin edges ahead isn't the sensor — it's the trend presentation. Garmin's app surfaces resting HR as a clean 7-day and 30-day rolling graph, which is exactly what someone monitoring blood pressure patterns wants to show a doctor. Fitbit shows it too, but buries it slightly deeper in the app. For trend-watching rather than spot readings, Garmin's data display is the practical differentiator, not the hardware.

Vivosmart 5 gives around 7 days with continuous HR tracking; Charge 6 comes in closer to 4-5 days in the same mode. For someone wearing it 24/7 to build meaningful resting HR trend data, that difference matters — fewer charging gaps means cleaner, uninterrupted data across the week. Final recommendation: Garmin Vivosmart 5. For a 55-year-old with high blood pressure who wants genuine HR trend data rather than medical claims, it wins on three counts that actually matter here: superior battery life for uninterrupted tracking, cleaner long-term trend graphs that are easy to share with a GP, and a no-nonsense interface that doesn't dress up data as diagnosis. That's exactly the right tool for this situation.