We tend to think that our hearts beat with absolute regularity, like a metronome. In fact, a healthy heart is constantly varying the time between beats. These variations are instigated by the nervous system as it continually seeks the most efficient and optimum way for the body to operate.
The variation in the time between heart beats is referred to as Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Because HRV provides a window on your nervous system, it gives us a wonderful way of monitoring how well your body is preserving its equilibrium.
Recently, analysis of HRV has attracted a great deal of interest within the medical community as being an excellent non-invasive measurement of nervous system activity and heart health.
To understand this, it’s important to recognize that our health depends on how well our body can constantly adjust all of its functions to the myriad stimuli and demands that are continually changing. Temperature, light, noise, time of day, blood sugar, an endless list of stress and change of all kinds require our body to regulate itself around a point of balance. The better it can do this the healthier we are. The more our body’s ability to adapt to this constant change declines, the sicker we become. In the case of the heart, it must constantly regulate its output of blood to demands for blood flow that change every instant. Studies have demonstrated that decrease in heart rate variability emerges as the single most common risk factor for all kinds of chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic fatigue, heart failure, neurological disorders, and many others.
It used to be that instruments that could measure HRV were very expensive and only available in hospitals. Fortunately, technological advances mean that low-cost and accurate system for measuring HRV are now available to us for use at home. Indeed, some devices are so portable, that we can carry them around with us and use them whenever we want to.
Additionally, HRV measuring machines have been combined with biofeedback systems. These combination machines enable you to see that you can positively affect your HRV leading to improved health – both physical and mental.
Biofeedback is a technique in which people are trained to improve their health by learning to control certain internal bodily processes that normally occur involuntarily, such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and skin temperature. These activities can be measured with electronic devices and displayed on a monitor. The monitor provides feedback to the participant about the internal workings of his or her body. This person can then be taught to use this information to gain control over these “involuntary” activities. Biofeedback is an effective therapy for many conditions such as high blood pressure, stress, anxiety, headaches, chronic pain, etc,
The best of the portable biofeedback devices is the StressEraser. The StressEraser, is a small, light device that measures your pulse rate from your fingertip using an infrared sensor. It converts this information into a HRV wave which it displays on a small LCD screen. Best of all, the StressEraser then starts to guide you to breathe slowly and rhythmically which will have an almost immediate, positive effect on your HRV. You’ll see this improvement reflected on the screen as your HRV wave becomes smoother and more regular.
A sign of how effective the StressEraser is that it’s recognised by the health regulatory body in America (the FDA) with an indication for ‘Relaxation, Relaxation Training and Stress Reduction’.
Thanks to biofeedback devices like the StressEraser, we can all benefit from increased HRV and help ourselves to better health and well-being.
Find out more about heart rate variability and how a StressEraser can help you.