Monitoring app - Visible - a platform "designed for any invisible illness that benefits from resting and pacing - including ME/CFS & Long Covid."

Well, yes as you’ve discovered, once you’re in the red it takes time to get back out of it, stopping what you’re doing isn’t enough as the heart rate needs to drop.
Comparing points is a zero-sum game, I’m on 90 per day and I’m moderate, I am working on ways to stay closer to my budget but it isn’t easy. I’m also going to ask to be investigated for POTS.

 

Well I go through periods where I am endlessly over budget but currently have managed to stay under some days alot under others barely. And yet continue to get worse. What I am not doing is crashing. I look forward to seeing what the research shows given that there is so much data coming in from this monitoring. What I haven’t found is that the HRV is predictive of anything for me. I did want magic from this and once I gave that up I have found this useful in helping me not push myself into PEM.

 

@SteveFifield I don't know if you saw this in the Visible app but there is a bit more information on the impact and intensity of tagged activities.

On the HR graph screen tap Activity Insights and you can toggle between Impact / Intensity of tagged activities.

If you tap the information ℹ️ at the top RHS of the screen there is a blog post on Activity Insights.

One way to assess how well you are pacing your activities is by keeping an eye on what your heart rate does afterwards. That's one of the reasons why it's a good idea to know what your RHR is.

If you can undertake an activity, and when you stop and rest afterwards, your heart rate returns to resting heart rate within a couple of minutes, then it is less likely you have exerted beyond your personal limits.

But as you mentioned in your previous post, if you are active beyond your personal limits your resting heart rate increases. What I found is that it usually increases for the rest of the day (and into the next day or more depending on the level of exertion). This means that each additional activity more quickly pushes into exertion beyond personal limits, making pacing even more challenging. This is even though, all things being equal, that particular activity wouldn't normally push you into exertion beyond personal limits.

And of course there is the cumulative impact of exertions all of which may be within personal limits but cumulatively are not.

Pacing is more of an art than a science, there are many variables and moving targets. But tech such as Garminb/ Fitbit etc and Visible can be very useful tools.

 

I've been using Visible for a few weeks and I'm pleased with it as a pacing aid.

However I've been trying the 'coherent breathing' feature the last few days and finding it makes me feel worse; it also lowers my HRV, when the advertised purpose is to raise it. Today I scrolled through the 'About coherent breathing' page, and right at the bottom there's a 'Safety note' saying that if your 'Monthly check-in' (FUNCAP) score is 2 or lower you should try coherent breathing for no more than 2 minutes and only increase from there 'if you feel able to'. I think this advice should be more prominent!

 

I’m inclined to agree as otherwise it becomes one of your day’s dominant activities, surely?
Might be worth using the Visible Profile->Send Us A Message feature if you feel up to it. If not, I would be happy to do that for you

 

I've done that, but thank you for offering! Got a reply saying they would raise it at the weekly meeting where they discuss user feedback.

 

Just deep, regular breathing basically! There's a feature on the app to guide you in doing it. Plus some blurb about its supposed benefits.

 

It’s just a few minutes of deep breath in and out. Mine broke ages ago, but it did relax me. Brought my heart rate down.

 

I gave up on the coherent breathing. Separate from any readings it is exhausting.