Today went the way things are supposed to go. Do something to up gamma brainwaves, and they go up. Deep breathe, and heart rate responds. Start off the whole thing with low muscle tension, good EEG numbers, and the heart rate I began with back in June. Over the last few weeks, the latter has been steadily going up into the 120s, even hitting 130. One would think I was under attack or something instead of doing what I find enjoyably challenging.
Today my heart rate began in the 110s, and during the SMIRB screen (Stop My Irritating Ruminations Book), it dropped by 10 beats per minute. I have always found writing in and of itself de-stressing, and this proves that physiologically it really is for me.
As for why I began with a heart rate lower than yesterday’s when the weather was hotter and much more humid — conditions known to increase heart rate — well, it could’ve been the result of yesterday’s rejig, or of not watching the Olympics before I left for brain biofeedback (I mean, how much heartbreak can one handle — as The Sun put it, Canada needs a hug) although I did check in on kayak and canoe medal-winning results, or of writing an email I'd been procrastinating on. Or a combo of all of those.
In any case, it was a relief to see things improving again.
My results:
| Date | Baseline | HRV EC | HRV | Fdbk 1 | Fdbk 2 | Fdbk 3 | HRV |
| 27 Jun | 0.83 | 0.88 | 0.90 | 0.90 | 0.91 | ||
| 4 Jul | 0.85 30s | 0.90 | 0.91 | 0.94 | 0.898 | 0.90 | 0.84 EC |
| 10 Jul | 0.85 30s | 0.92 | 0.89 | 0.86 | 0.84 | 0.86 | 0.90 EC |
| 17 Jul | 0.91 30s | 0.97 | 1.05 | 1 | 0.94 | 0.96 | 0.97 EC |
| 25 Jul | 0.96 30s | 1 | 1.03 | 1.02 | 1.01 | 0.97 | 1.02 EC |
| 3 min | 10 min | Fdbk 1 | SMIRB | Fdbk 3 | HRV | ||
| 7 Aug | 0.85 | 0.949 | 0.95 | 0.89 | 0.93 | 0.92 | |
| 8 Aug | 1.04 | 0.99 | 0.95 | 0.970 | 0.973 | 0.99 |
