I don’t know if this is an appropriate question for this forum but I’ve gone back to school recently after my military service and I noticed that I have mild anxiety and when I have to talk/present in front of my university lectures. I’ve noticed that during the lectures my apple watch sometimes alerts me stating that I had an elevated heart rate (usually around 120-130 bpm for ~10-20 minutes my (max heart rate in 191bpm)) while I am stationary. I am worried if this persist it could have an affect on my cardiovascular health. Is this something I should seek professional help with? Any insights would help!
It is normal to have an elevated heart rate in the setting of stress / anxiety, and I would not be concerned about this expected heart rate fluctuation. With more practice / exposure to these settings your experience of that anxiety will likely improve. If it does not and the anxiety continues to be distressing, there are treatments that can be useful for that type of situational/performance anxiety; however, the reason to use them would not be related to concerns about your heart rate.
I’d consider just taking your Apple Watch off during/around those events, as these alerts are likely causing you more stress than they’re worth.