As a doctor, it is my job to find methods to make people healthier, and here heart rate monitors have enormous potential. It is certainly important to discuss the limitations and side effects, as psychologist Henrik B. Jacobsen does in his statement, but the benefits and possibilities are so much greater and helpful to many. Yes, the clocks can display errors. But as long as it only applies to a few percent of the measurements, it means little in practice. I have used heart rate monitors myself and have seen that the curves agree well, even on runs. That they are accurate enough has been tested. And they are precise enough for research too. Although Jacobsen did not succeed in finding the connection between disease and heart rate variability in the study of 116 people who received a specific treatment for fibromyalgia, there is no evidence that connections do not exist. On the contrary, you can google almost any disease in English and add heart rate variability (HRV) and you will find research findings that show a connection. And of course findings that do not show a connection. Such is research. Even a successful study does not necessarily mean anything for you as an individual. Hidden in the average are often large individual variations. The average is useful for decisions at the societal level, but useless for a patient. A big advantage of heart rate monitors is that they show how you, and not the average, react to a certain factor. As Jacobsen writes: “We read stories about people who describe a new everyday life filled with energy, joy of life and health.” Yes, these stories fill my inboxes too. Because many people have managed to use the heart rate monitor to regulate their stress balance. Most people find out whether the method is useful or stressful in two to three weeks. The advantage is that it is non-prescription, relatively cheap and you can stop whenever you want. The clocks keep an eye on us, while we are busy living our lives. They assess the degree of strain we expose ourselves to, measurable in heartbeats. For the vast majority of people, watches will not increase stress, but on the contrary enable us to identify and reduce stress. The watch can even reveal which colleague is stressing you out, so you can go to the boss and ask for reduced contact with that person. For many, including me, the watch has become a valuable tool to keep the surplus in a busy everyday life. Yes, some get more stressed by measuring. Then they should put the watch away. This is a tool to get a better life, not a worse one. Can’t we just feel for it? Many people do not know when they are stressed or tired. If we were all able to feel the stress, we wouldn’t end up in the problems we have. The lifestyle factors that have a positive effect on the meters are free, and thus socially equalizing. Pulse measurement is not a simple solution to a complex problem as Jacobsen suggests. I call the process of heart rate measurement an expedition, precisely because lifestyle changes are difficult and time-consuming, even assisted by heart rate monitors. Good sleep, sun and fresh air, movement, fasting, water, clean food, cold, relaxation and breathing techniques. Reduction of alcohol and nicotine intake. It’s easier to motivate yourself for that cold shower or ditch the last drink when the result is immediately visible on the clock. This is preventive medicine at its best! ALSO READ:
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