Drug users rely on Apple Watch, Fitbit to monitor heart rate during binge eating

Some people use their Apple Watch and Fitbit to track their health and exercise routine. Others apparently use the devices to stay safe during drug seizures.

Several people on Reddit, Twitter and other social media platforms shared that their wearable devices are useful for tracking their heart rate when they use drugs like cocaine, ketamine and speed, according to CNBC. If the device indicates that his heart rate has jumped, say 150, after snorting cocaine, he will probably skip a turn.

Cocaine can cause an increase in heart rate, among other short-term physiological effects such as narrowed blood vessels and dilated pupils, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Using devices like a Fitbit, some sources in CNBC's history reported having a heart rate that would go from about 80 before snorting cocaine to 150 about 20 minutes later.

A source, a technician of about 20 years in San Francisco, Owen, said that his Fitbit had shown him a resting heart rate of about 55 years. When that number goes to 150 or 160, he knows how to pbad a trick.

"I do not really know what's going on in my body when I'm smoking grbad or doing cocaine," Owen told the publication. "I can read information online, but it's not specific to me. Boosting your heart rate on the Fitbit while making cocaine is a really real datum that you get on you."

But health professionals warn According to CNBC, monitors who protect them against overdoses offer a "false sense of security." Cardiologist Ethan Weiss told the publication that blood pressure and heart rate, which can not be tracked by most devices, are also affected by the use of cocaine. In addition, many heart rate monitors are not as accurate as standard chest straps, according to a recent study.

Apple and Fitbit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.