Biofeedback Stress Monitor
Analyze your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and regulate your nervous system with real-time feedback and guided coherence breathing.
HRV Assessment
1. Find your pulse on your wrist or neck.
2. Click "Start" below.
3. Tap the button exactly when you feel a beat.
Coherence Breathing
5s Inhale — 5s Exhale
Understanding Biofeedback & Stress
Biofeedback is a technique that teaches you to control some of your body's functions, such as your heart rate. During a biofeedback session, you use information about your body to make subtle changes, such as relaxing certain muscles, to achieve a desired effect, like reducing pain or anxiety. This tool simulates a professional biofeedback loop by using your manual input to calculate Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
The Science of Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Many people believe a steady heart rate is a sign of health, but the opposite is true. A healthy heart actually has a slight irregularity in the time gap between beats. This variation is called Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
- High HRV: Indicates a flexible, adaptable autonomic nervous system. It suggests you are in a "rest and digest" (parasympathetic) state.
- Low HRV: Indicates your body is under stress, fatigue, or in "fight or flight" (sympathetic) mode. Your heart is beating like a metronome because stress hormones are driving it rigidly.
How This Tool Calculates Stress
The "HRV Assessment" module above uses the RMSSD method (Root Mean Square of Successive Differences). By tapping in rhythm with your pulse, the tool captures the timestamps of your beats in milliseconds. It then calculates the variance between these intervals. While a clinical ECG is the gold standard, manual tapping provides a surprisingly accurate estimation of your rhythm's regularity when done correctly.
Using Coherence Breathing to Reset
If your stress score is low (indicating high stress), the most effective immediate intervention is Coherence Breathing. This involves breathing at a rate of approximately 5 to 6 breaths per minute. The visualizer on the right guides you through a 5-second inhale and 5-second exhale pattern. This specific frequency balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of your nervous system, often improving HRV scores within just 60 seconds of practice.
Tips for Accuracy
For the best results, sit comfortably in a quiet room. Use your index finger to feel the pulse on your neck (carotid artery) as it is often stronger than the wrist. Close your eyes and tap the button firmly. Ensure you do not miss beats, as missed beats will artificially inflate your HRV score.