Pulse Meter And Autonomic Nervous System

I'm sure everyone looks at this in a different way than I do.  I'm talking about our pulse rate and how I use the pulse meter to monitor my health.  I'm especially concerned with the health of my autonomic nervous system, not just the pulse rate.

I'm going to attempt to try and explain what I look at and see when I use the pulse meter.  My goal is to improve my overall health, not just take one reading and extrapolate it into conclusions for all parts of my life.  It is extremely important to know your pulse rate among other key factors of your health.

Going to a doctor and having them check at that moment is never enough.  It only shows you what is happening to you in that single moment. 

How do we know what is going on each day if we've oblivious to what is taking place within us.  I have found that as much as I think I know what is happening, a pulse rate or blood pressure check can often show something quite different.  Our bodies and our minds are not always in sync with one another.

Most of what I am writing about is what I have learned.  If you find something that you know is not quite accurate, please - please - leave a comment and help give me some reference material where I can learn more.  I've had to figure this out on my own using my own life's experiences, so I'm sharing what I know. 

Please don't use this as a medical diagnosis because I'm not qualified to do that in anyone.  You would need to consult your medical provider for questions you may have.

Here's the three key things that I look at when I use the pulse meter on myself or on other clients.

1. Pulse Rate - When I look at this, I'm looking for where the reading is at and then comparing it to where it is after some deep relaxation or trauma release work or even breath work.  In many cases, this number will change, but a healthy autonomic nervous system will have the pulse come down with the work I just referenced.  If the pulse stays high (90 to 100 or above) and does not come down, this is something that needs attention.  It is not healthy for a pulse rate to stay high.  At one time, my pulse rate remained in the high 90's, but with deep trauma and autonomic nervous system work, it has now come down to a more health level.
   
   One thing I have seen is that in some people the pulse rate is very low and in my mind, that does not seem any healthier than the individual with a high pulse rate.  It is like the autonomic nervous system is exhausted or that's how I view it and see it.  You almost have to push the person up into a higher energy state, to get past the autonomic drag as I would view it. 
   
   Knowing where your pulse rate is at any given point is key to understanding what is going on deep within you.  Even in situations where I have had nightmares and I put the pulse meter on my finger, I've found out that my pulse isn't showing what I feel biologically is happening inside of me.  Often the two things are disconnected.  Don't assume that what you think you feel is actually what is going on within you.
   
    
2. SPo2 - The oxygen level of your blood is key to so much.  Oxygen is required to help carry nutrients to the cells so that waste can be carried from them.  If your oxygen level is low, than your blood will not be doing all that it needs to help your cells function in your body.  If I am correct, it will affect your energy levels and ability to deal with things from day to day.  It will set you up for physical ailments and situations that can pull you down even further. 
   
   Many of us don't breathe properly.  We don't fully utilize our breath in a day.  Due to overwhelming stress and a failure to go in and release old traumas, we tend to hold our breath because we are in survival mode.  More often than not, we don't even realize just how much we hold our breath or keep our breathing shallow.  The more we do this, the less overall oxygen we have in our blood. 
   
   The oxygen level is a key indicator of where someone is with respect to the autonomic nervous system and how much residual trauma is still impacting them in a biological way.  If you don't know what you're levels are, you are missing a key component of your healing and your life.
   
   
3. Pulse Wave Form - While not every pulse meter has this feature I don't believe, it is another key component of the health of the autonomic nervous system.  If you start to watch the wave form continuously on yourself and other people, you'll start to see patterns emerge.  I always picture the healthy pulse wave form being gentle rolling ocean waves.  I don't want them too high and peaked because it would be like a ship on some very stormy waters.  I want the wave forms to be robust enough to help me sail through my day. 
   
   The gentle rolling waves reminds me of peaceful waters on the ocean where things are more smooth sailing. The pulse waves are steady, but about the same height.  They are rolling and evenly spaced.  Each one just rolls on to the next one without any thought given as to how it happens.  So when I see this, I know that the body is in a more relaxed and calm state, not suffering from intense trauma triggers in that moment. 
   
   Most likely if you put a pulse meter on your finger, you would see that the waves are all over the place with some high and some at different levels.  However, if you take a few moments and focus on your breath or just relax and turn off the thoughts, you would see something different if you checked it again.  The wave form should typically should be more relaxed in a healthy state.  However, if your body is reeling from the after affects of painful experiences and stress in life, it may not automatically even out, until you've released that which is built up within you.  

Even readings that seem normal at this moment can change.  We all go through experiences that brings up triggers and past memories or experiences.  When these show up, our mind body adjusts to them in trying to regain balance.  It may be nice to read our different levels and think that we are fine, but this would be an illusion because life is a process of moving forward, not a one time event.

Often we need to engage in deep trauma healing work that releases from the core of the body so that these things don't impact us biologically, mentally, and emotionally.  If we don't do this,  you can quickly see with a pulse meter, the impact and effect they have upon your body.  Our nervous systems have elasticity to them, but if you stretch that rubber band too far, something is going to break.

You can also have a great impact upon your pulse rate and blood pressure just through your thoughts.  Unfortunately, this is often temporary if you are still feeding the beast with the unresolved trauma, stress buildup and past experiences still acting as host to your mind and body.

The pulse meter is a tool to help you understand your body more.  We as humans are much more disconnected from what is happening within us than we realize.  The more you explore these concepts, the more this will be an eye opening awareness.  It is a simple tool that if you learn how to use it and read it, you can be in much greater control of your life and health.

Pulse meters are much cheaper today than they once were.  One of the ones I use is pictured above.  If you click on the following link for the PULSE METER, you will see what it is.  They are simple to use, but I think they are something that should be a standard item of personal care each day.

While I know others look at pulse rate in a more medical setting, I look at it through the eyes of the health of the autonomic nervous system.  When this system is in good health because built up stress, past trauma and experiences are not weighing it down, then your overall mind and body and spirit are in good health.  You find balance at that moment which brings you deep peace, joy, and awareness.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Resperate and Deep Autonomic Breathing

This is one of the tools I use to help keep my mind and body connected.  It is called the Resperate.  While it is approved by the FDA for helping to lower blood pressure, that is not the way I use it.

Please refer to the owner manual and precautions that may affect how you use this product.  I am not giving medical treatment advice in this blog post.  It is merely how I use this product for my own personal way.  Please adjust it to meet your life's situation.


The Resperate is a great way to help work not only on the Mind Body Connection, but to help deepen the autonomic nervous system breathing.  Autonomic nervous system breathing has to do with allowing your body to go deep into rest and repair healing.  It is where you truly connect with your mind and body using the breath to help you become more aware of the felt sense.

Using the Resperate and pulse meter together, I can fully evaluate on my own, the health of my nervous system.  I am one of those people that sometimes struggles with a high pulse rate due to daily stress and triggers.  It is one area that I continually work on with the Pulse Meter.

The pulse meter not only shows the pulse rate at that moment, but it gives you a reading for the oxygen level of your blood.  For me personally, I try to get my pulse rate down to a consistent rate in the 60's or 70's when I am laying on the table in a rested state.  I watch the pulse waves that I can see on the pulse meter and I'm looking for a gentle flow of waves that are consistent from one to the next.  The waves should have some substance to them, but be gentle rolling waves is how I picture it.

Here are a few tips that have helped me use the Resperate more effectively.  One of the things that I have found is that it is better if I use it in a quiet room where I won't be disturbed.  Since I have a massage table, I often lie down when I'm working with the Resperate.  One of the best things I've found is that I use a pillow under my head because if I am propped up a little, it is easier for me to let go and get into the deeper breathing.  The pillow helps me feel more in control.

I've found that instead of placing the band on my chest, that I place it on the upper side of my belly and it feels like it works better.  I was struggling to get the thing to work if I put it too high on my chest.  I'm sure with each person, it is different and you'll have to explore what location works best for you. It most likely depends upon your breathing pattern.

Before I turn the machine on, I have it all ready to go and then I just lie on the table for a few moments.  I take a "before" reading with the pulse meter and just allow my breathing to quiet down a little.  If I don't do this, it seems like the machine starts out with too many quick inhalations and exhalations which sort of frustrates me more than it helps me to start relaxing.

In the early days, 5 minutes was a lot for me to do on the Resperate.  It took me time to acclimate to the constant breathing inhalations and exhalations.  As I've gone, I find that the full 15 minutes is really ideal.  It helps me to go deep into the process.  If I use less time than that, it is like I'm startled out of the relaxation process before I get that deep and then I wake up with results that are not as good.

I will usually monitor the breath rate on the Resperate in the middle of the time I am using it to see how well I'm doing and how far my body is dropping down.  I'll check the pulse meter to also measure just how far my body is dropping into the rest and repair mode.


Another thing I do is that I hold my hands on my stomach, free and clear of the sensor band.  When I do this, I am holding the thought in my mind that I want to feel and sense every part of the movement in my body as I breathe.  I want to feel the rise and fall of my abdomen and lungs.  This can be very therapeutic and healing once you start to connect it with your mind and body.

Some days I can do better with using the Resperate than other days.  Sometimes I use it every other day and other times I go several days without using it.  It all depends and you just have to listen to your body on what works for you.  You will have to find the frequency of how often you use it.

My overall goal is to work on deep autonomic nervous system breathing so I can connect my mind and body with the felt sense.  I know that the more I do this, the more I can go into rest and repair and physically alter the stress, anxiety and triggers on my life.  The pulse meter is essential in my view to help monitor this because if things are working, the pulse rate should drop down.

At times, I have had headaches and other tension in my body, but after 15 minutes working with the Resperate in the manner described above, I notice that things ease up.  Maybe it isn't 100% better by the time I get off the table, but as the hours go on, I physically feel better.

When  you do the deep autonomic breathing where you slowly exhale, you invoke the vagus nerve.  The vagus nerve is one of the largest nerves in the body and it helps relax you, find balance in your mind and body, and gets you into the rest and repair mode especially if you feel and sense through the felt sense mechanism.

There is a great deal of physical and emotional healing that we can do on our own.  Unfortunately we numb and disconnect with a million reasons of why we don't engage the mind body connection or we keep ourselves so busy that we don't take part in our own healing the way we should.  This is one tool that I've been playing with for some time and the more I experiment with it, the more healing and effective it is for me.

The more we keep our body and mind tuned up, the greater our life will be and we will be able to more effectively connect with peace and healing.  The more we do this on a regular basis, the more life becomes one that we have greater control over in our physical and emotional moments.

The items I use can be purchased on Amazon and I have listed them on my page, Health Products I Love.

Please feel free to ask me questions on how I use this.  I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences if you are using the Resperate.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Most Heart Attacks Happen On Monday

According to a recent YouTube video lecture by Dr. Jason Satterfiled of USCF, most heart attacks happen on Monday!  Hopefully you are not reading this on a Monday or if you are, you are one of those people that take care of yourself.  Right, everyone takes care of themselves and heart attacks only happen to other people, not to us!

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that any one reading this is not home free when it comes to heart attacks.  Please, by a show of hands, who takes excellent care of themselves?  Ok, I see that the majority of you raised your hand.  Now, how many of you exercise daily or at least three times a week.  Not as many hands stayed up.  Of the hands that are still up, how many of you eat a balanced diet and avoid all the nasty junk food?  There aren’t as many hands up now.  So now, of all the hands still up, who in here monitors their health on a daily basis, checking their pulse rate, and engaging in relaxation and stress reduction?  Where did the hands go?

Come on, a moment ago, everyone claimed to take care of themselves and yet, some of the most simple things you can do to help prevent heart attacks are not being done.  Are you all kidding yourself or just messing with me in this informal poll?

Understanding Blood Pressure And Pulse Rate

Understanding Blood
Pressure And Pulse Rate

If you are like I am, you may not be aware of some things when it comes to blood pressure and pulse rate.  While the following website page is not a complete source on this subject, it is one that I have tried to put together to help people begin to understand these concepts.  The more we know about our biological body, the better we can take care of it.  You can visit this website at Finger Pulse Oximeter

In the mind body connection, you have two parts.  One of course is the mind and the other is the biological or physical body.  Of course, I am sure this is obvious, but we often forget these things.  Sometimes we only think and speak in terms about the mind body connection as being something mystical and magical.  Yet, we often forget the biological component.

Pulse rate is one measurement we can take in our body that gives us not only a measure of the health of our cardiovascular system, but also the autonomic nervous system.  Blood pressure is a measurement that gives a better idea how our blood is pumping through the heart and our arteries.  Yet, just because our blood pressure is high, that does not necessarily mean our pulse rate is.  The same thing can be said in reverse.  While they can impact each other, it is not necessarily a cause - effect relationship.

Hypnotherapy Self Confidence CD by Steve Bayner

Steve Bayner, Hypnotist
Building Self Confidence

I finally was able to get this CD transferred on to my iphone so I could hook it up to my headphones and listen to it.  For some reason, the headphones really amplify the effects for me of audio files, most likely because they help block out the world around me.  I feel like I'm in my own little section of outer space when I listen to things through them.

This CD, Building Self Confidence,  is one that I got through a hypnotist by the name of Steve Bayner.  He performed at the Volusia County Fair in November 2011.  I was intrigued by him and when he took the audience through the warm up exercise to see who might be a good candidate to come up on stage, I ended up being one of those people.  I'm still surprised that I had the courage to go up on stage because I usually shy away from anything that is in front of people.  Self confidence is one of those parts of my life that was desecrated many years ago.

Throughout the night, I had such an amazing connection to the hypnotherapy.  It was the first time that I experienced it and the level of deep relaxation I experienced was phenomenal.  After all, while I have a fuzzy memory of the experience, I know that I went out deep.  After it was over, it took me some time to really come back to in alertness.  Normally in a big crowd of people such as was present that night, I would have been very agitated.  Instead, I found myself amazingly calm and enjoying all the people around me.  This experience did have a great impact on me.

Healing Piano Music

WOW – no let’s make that a DOUBLE WOW! This CD, Healing Piano by Steven Cravis, really surprised me. I was expecting the sounds that I had come to know in Steven Cravis’ other CD’s but when I heard this one, I was surprised and amazed. I think this is one of Steven’s greatest works that he has done. Here’s why I say this.

The music is gentle but has flowing ripples of musical notes, as if you were staring across a rippling brook flowing gently through a lush meadow. The songs have delicately placed pauses in them, as if they just knew where exactly to be located to give the mind an opportunity to absorb all that it is receiving. The sounds range from more dominant tones to more mellow, with some tones just following one another in single file that is full of dimension, time, and space. The music is so deep and vibrantly full of life and energy that I find myself wanting to immerse myself in it, as if I’m soaking in a relaxing bath. To say this music is amazing is limiting my description by a vocabulary that can not explain the fullness of the sounds, tones, and inflections.

So I put this music to the test using my pulse meter to measure just what impact it would have on me. Using my iPod and noise canceling headphones, I laid on my massage table and just played the music as I closed my eyes. I took my pulse with the pulse meter and it was around 80-85 before I started. After listening all of the way through to the end of the music, I once again took my pulse. My pulse had gone down to around 69-74. It definitely dropped my pulse rate down about 10-15 points and that is an indicator that the “relaxation response” or parasympathetic mode is being reached, which offers the body a chance to heal through rest and repair.

This music is not only beautiful but so relaxing and inviting that I know you’ll want to check it out. I’m sure my clients will enjoy having relaxing massages to this music and I’m sure I will also be using this in my own relaxation and meditation times. This CD, Healing Piano by Steven Cravis, is truly a piece of art and Steven is going to have a difficult time creating work that outdoes this CD, but knowing his creative ability, I’m sure we will see many more great things in the future.

You can learn more about Steven Cravis at:
http://www.stevencravis.com

You can download music by Steven Cravis on:
iTunes

*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog