What is cardiac coherence and how can it improve your well-being?
Cardiac coherence is a state where your heartbeat follows a regular pattern, with specific oscillations, which is beneficial to your mental and physical health. To achieve this state, it's crucial to breathe at a precise rate, around 0.1 Hz, about six breaths per minute. This breathing synchronizes the rhythms of the heart and brain, improving stress management, concentration and overall well-being.
How do we achieve this?
Devices are used to guide breathing to this optimal rhythm. This study tested three methods of guiding breathing: visual (with images), haptic (with vibrations), and a combination of the two (visuo-haptic). Here's what the researchers found:
1. Cardiac coherence and benefits: Regular practice of cardiac coherence, even for a few minutes, can improve stress management, concentration and emotional regulation.
2. Effectiveness of guidance methods:
* Visual alone: Evidence shows that visual cues are useful but may be less effective alone in maintaining the ideal breathing rhythm.
* Haptic alone: Vibration alone is also effective in achieving cardiac coherence, but results may vary from person to person.
* Visuo-haptics: The combination of visual signals and vibrations has been found to be the most effective. It helps to maintain the optimal breathing rhythm more reliably, combining the benefits of both methods.
Why is the combination better?
Visual and haptic signals together appear to help the brain better regulate heart rate by integrating sensory information more comprehensively. This could compensate for natural variations in individual heart rhythms and offer enhanced benefits for mental and physical health.
To improve your Cardiac coherence and benefit fully from its effects, the combined methods of visual and haptic guidance are the most effective. They enable better regulation of heart rhythm and optimal well-being.
Learn more about Lactium for stress management!
Sources:
STRESS, CARDIAC COHERENCE AND HYPNOSIS
LACTALK - EPISODE 3 SEASON 2
Cardiac coherence: a new, noninvasive measure of autonomic nervous system order.
Tiller WA, McCraty R, Atkinson M.
Altern Ther Health Med. 1996 Jan;2(1):52-65.
PMID: 8795873
Pain: Is It All in the Brain or the Heart?
Alshami AM.
Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2019 Nov 14;23(12):88. doi: 10.1007/s11916-019-0827-4.
Guiding Breathing at the Resonance Frequency with Haptic Sensors Potentiates Cardiac Coherence.
Bouny P, Arsac LM, Guérin A, Nerincx G, Deschodt-Arsac V.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 May 5;23(9):4494. doi: 10.3390/s23094494.