Balance: how to find harmony between tension and relaxation?

16.01.2020
Назад в блог

The dream of many is to find a balance between work and play, needs and opportunities. Our body also needs a balance between tension and calmness. The heart rate variability technique, which is the basis of Engy Health, makes it possible to find and maintain this balance.

The phrase "balance between stress and calmness" can be summed up in one simple medical term - vegetative balance . Your body's vegetative system consists of two elements:

  • The sympathetic system , which is responsible for the activation of the body under stress and danger.
  • The parasympathetic system , which is responsible for the relaxation of the body and the accumulation of resources in resting conditions

The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are in dynamic balance in a healthy body. That is, the period of stress and mobilization of the body due to the work of the sympathetic system is replaced by rest, during which the restoration of energy and strength occurs due to the work of the parasympathetic system. If one of the components does not work effectively, is overstressed or, on the contrary, weakened, an imbalance occurs, which, in the absence of timely measures, leads to the development of the risk of disease. The scientific method of heart rate variability (HRV, or HRV) allows you to clearly identify the state of the vegetative balance through the work of each department.

How to identify the work of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems?

Popular and widely recognized around the world in space and sports medicine, the method of heart rate variability was developed by the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the mid-1960s in order to analyze the health of astronauts. The complexity of the task was to be able to monitor the health of a person in space from the ground. Heart rate analysis helped solve this problem: at this time, technologies already made it possible to transmit a cardiogram at a distance. Thanks to the mathematical analysis of astronauts' cardiograms, scientists have revealed the ability of the heart to receive signals from the body's regulatory systems, including the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Each of them sends signals at its own phase frequency.

The parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for relaxation and rest, in particular for slowing down the pulse at rest due to the work of the vagus nerve, sends HF waves ( English High Frequency, high frequency ) that look like this:


Sympathetic nervous system . It mobilizes the body, is responsible for tension, is responsible for accelerating the pulse, acting on the body with the neurotransmitter adrenaline, cortisol. On the cardiogram, the waves of the sympathetic system are called LF-waves ( English Low Frequency, Low frequency ) and look like this:


Further mathematical analysis of LF and HF waves allows you to plot the spectral power of the ranges:


How to see your Balance?

The Balance indicator in Engy Health service is your vegetative balance. Now you can see it at any time convenient for you, clearly understanding whether you are in balance, and whether there is an imbalance towards the sympathetic or parasympathetic systems. After the measurement in Engy Health, in the Balance field its numerical value and the color designation of your condition are indicated.

Green color indicates that at the moment your systems are so balanced that the body is easily mobilized under stress and just as quickly decreases the degree of stress: your vegetative balance is normal. Red is a signal of either extreme weakness and exhaustion (numerical values ​​near zero), or an overexcited sympathetic system. Balance values ​​are highlighted in yellow, which are normal for evening measurements after a busy day and not good for morning measurements. Take a look at our visualization to see which values ​​are optimal. Hover the cursor over the color zone you are interested in:

0-0.3

Increased tone of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for mobilizing the body, is unable to activate it. You are exhausted and may be feeling weak, lack of energy, dizziness, or trouble sleeping.

0.3-0.7

Your indicators speak of a relaxed state, successful recovery. Your body is trained. And although at the moment the parasympathetic system (responsible for rest) prevails, the sympathetic system is also active and ready for mobilization.

0.7-2

The stress and the rest in your life are balanced. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems work in concert. This indicator is optimal for morning measurements and ideal for evening measurements.

2-8

The predominance of sympathetic influence. The body is mobilized. This is normal to measure during a business day, during times of minor stress. If these are the values ​​of the morning measurement, you are gradually using up your reserves.

8-14

The tone of the sympathetic system is increased. You may be experiencing significant physical or psychological stress. Difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, blood pressure are likely.

What to do with knowing your Balance?

Numbers are not enough, so Engy Health gives clear recommendations on what needs to be done to bring the vegetative balance back to normal, no matter what state you are in. Our recommendations will help you maintain balance if you have already achieved it, or find the best way to relax or exercise to restore balance. At any time you can contact our physiologists with a question.


Engy Health records all your measurements and each user always has access to their data. With regular measurements, it is easy to track the dynamics of indicators and understand which life factors - be it sleep, sports, work, excessive stress - “knock you out” of the rut and upset the balance, and what lifestyle, on the contrary, restores it. Moreover, with Engy Health you can monitor the health of all your loved ones, sports or work team.

Good governance

Vegetative balance demonstrates the ratio of two capabilities of your body: to fully relax and maximize mobilization when necessary. With the dominance of the sympathetic system - increased tension, stress - it is worth finding those relaxation methods that will be effective for you. Choose an activity you like: walking, yoga, extended sleep, listening to music, massage - and measure regularly with Engy Health. If the indicator continues to improve, then you have found the optimal relaxation technique for yourself.

With the dominance of the parasympathetic system and the accompanying feeling of constant weakness and drowsiness, it is also worth reconsidering the lifestyle. Perhaps add more pleasant physical activity: to start a walk, then bike, ski, swim or fitness. As a last resort, you can just do gymnastics at home. Track how increased activity affects your Balance. Most likely, you will bring yourself to a different level of well-being, become more cheerful, the regulatory systems will work normally, and it will be easier for your heart to cope with everyday tasks.


Назад в блог




Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку с лайфхаками о здоровье,
мастер-классами и новостями проекта

Мы используем cookie-файлы для наилучшего представления сайта. Продолжая использовать этот сайт, вы соглашаетесь с использованием cookie-файлов

Принять Подробнее