EFFECTS OF HEARTBREATH
With HeartBreath, you can train your breathing, and get HRV (Heart Rate Variability) feedback about your organism's adaptability, therefore getting your current level of stress.
The Status Quo
Health, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) since 1948, is not just the absence of disease and ailments, but a state of complete mental, physical and social well-being.
Currently, more and more doctor visits are due to stress, mental illness and their health consequences. However, we visit the doctor to treat the symptoms, not the causes. This may help on short term, but does not fix the source of the problem.
HeartBreath uses the pulse wave from your finger to measure your heart rate variability and, among other things, your current mental stress. We want to give you an opportunity to take health into your own hands, to train your inner attention, and to respond to stress in a fast-paced way by learning to control your body's reactions.
Autonomic Nervous System
We can influence our autonomic nervous system indirectly only - it controls many vital bodily functions such as breathing, digestion and metabolism. Roughly two parts of the autonomic nervous system are distinguished: sympathetic and parasympathetic system.
Sympathetic Nervous System Fight-or-flight
The sympathetic nervous system prepares our organism for physical and mental activity. It ensures that our heart beats faster and stronger, that our airways expand, and that our intestinal activity is inhibited. In short, the sympathetic nervous system makes our body ready to fight-or-flight.
Stress is closely related to anxiety (for example, the fear of mistakes or the fear of failing to do something) and it necessarily triggers physical responses to prepare the predator human for "fight" or in case of limited chances of success for "flight".
Our complex and ingenious system is well programmed for survival techniques and e.g. fits with the following processes:
1.
Release of adrenaline
2.
Increased alertness and responsiveness
3.
Acceleration of the heartbeat
4.
Thickening of the blood
5.
Elevated blood pressure
6.
Shallow fast breathing
7.
High muscle tension
8.
Slowing down the digestive process
9.
Decreased saliva production
10.
Decreased sensitivity to pain
Parasympathetic Nervous System - Rest and Digest
Usually, the situation normalizes through adequate reaction or by familiarization and the parasympathetic nervous system takes control. It is responsible for our body functions at rest as well as for regeneration and development of the body's reserves. In comparison to the sympathetic nervous system, it has opposite effects on the same organs - it activates e.g. digestion, lowers the respiratory as well as the heart rate and supports relaxation.
Working against stressors
The opposite actions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system produce a balance that responds to the ever-changing conditions inside and outside the body.
The more stressors (such as working conditions, worries, stressful thoughts) we experience, the sooner our vegetative nervous system has to switch to combat - the sympathetic nerve is activated. However, if the cause of the stress continues, the sympathetic nervous system predominates, and the parasympathetic nervous system can not recover. Since the permanent tension can not be maintained forever, sooner or later, it is more likely to cause health consequences such as cardiovascular diseases, tinnitus, migraine, muscle tensions, gastrointestinal complaints or allergies. The (continuous) stress hormone cortisol has also been suspected for some time to promote tumor formation and cancer.
However, with various forms of relaxation training, your parasympathetic nervous system is specifically activated, therefore increasing the ability to relax and recover and thus, making a significant step towards health.
The Effect of HeartBreath on your Health
Too many external stimuli require a lot of outside attention. To stay healthy, you need to focus on yourself (inside attention).
Get to know yourself and your body better and take your body seriously. Help your body, treat yourself more valuably, gain more self-esteem and inner strength. When your body learns to trust you (self-confidence), it optimally serves as an adversary to stress.
In order to be able to "live everything" in the sympathetic mode (activity mode), sufficient parasympathetic nervous activation (relaxation mode) is required. You may notice that when tasks tire you, they become harder and more time consuming. So, to raise your performance - strengthen your recovery nerve.
Heart rate variability is widely used as a predictor of longevity. A heart that is capable of applying a wide variety of "tones and rhythms" is thus adaptable, which is a good indicator for vitality and probably a significantly longer high quality duration of life.
