BFHRV - Heart rate variability

Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to an organism's ability to continuously adapt the interval between heartbeats to situational requirements. Physical strain or mental stress result in a quickening of the heart rate, which falls again during relaxation and recovery.
Heart rate variability is a good indicator of health status, stress tolerance, resilience and biological age. Restricted heart rate variability is a sign of labile health, burnout, depressiveness and a biological age that is higher than actual age.

Examples of applications

• reducing mental and physiological tension
• psychosomatic disorders
• supporting therapy for heart disease
• psychovegetative exhaustion
• insomnia
• high blood pressure
• coping with stress and anxiety
• increasing DHEA levels (the "youth hormone")
• irritable bowel syndrome

Description
The training aims to achieve coherence of breathing, pulse and blood pressure. Three training forms are provided for this purpose.

Baroreflex training
In baroreflex training the client learns to breathe at a demonstrated frequency (6 breaths per minute). The aim is to gradually synchronise breathing and pulse rate.

Coherence training
Coherence training provides feedback on respiration movement and frequency, pulse rate (Puls), the extent of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the periodic fluctuations in arterial blood pressure (LF). This enables the three parameters of respiration, heart rate and blood pressure regulation to be synchronised in a controlled manner (coherence).

RSA training
In RSA training a breathing curve is displayed and actual respiration is fed back. Parallel feedback of the pulse rate supports development of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

Worth knowing
RSA and coherence training require a RESP radio module in addition to the EXG module.

Evaluation
The program provides comprehensive statistical evaluation with charts:

• Display of the EKG raw signal which can be switched to give a spectral view of the session (life fire)
• Display of the RR raw data which can be switched to display adjusted for trend (removed median)
• Poincaré plot for visual (qualitative) and mathematical (quantitative) assessment of the HRV
• Histogram with standard deviation, mean, regression line, Gauss curve, individual chart and statistics
• Frequency analysis by re-sampling the RR raw data and cubic spline interpolation
• Adjustment of the data for trend with polynomial regression
• Windowing of data to reduce the leakage effect with a choice of 8 procedures and automatic amplitude correction