Fitbit's 150 Billion Hours Of Heart Data Reveal Secrets About Health

yerrag

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But a lower heart rate actually is good if it's because your training has strengthened your heart muscle, increasing its stroke volume. It's just hard to tell whether your heart rate has slowed down due to a reduction in blood pumped (in other words, lowered metabolism, which is bad) or due to cardio strengthening your heart, meaning it has to do less work to pump the same amount of blood. For most people, it's probably a bit of both.
Agree with you there. Understanding that, it becomes a tool for personal assessment of one's health, for the n=1. The study results is fun trivia, but not really of much use to compare with one's health.

I wonder if a Peaty runner (assume it's not an oxymoron) having a heart rate rate of 45 would improve his heart rate to 65 and see his performance improve.

How about an ailing grandmother seeing her health improve as her heart goes goes from 90 to 75?

But the body sets its own heart rate depending on what it sees is best for the individual.

My heart rate doesn't really go past 75, and often stays at 65. But I have some issues internally I am resolving, and my body is capping my tissue oxygenation rate, and my metabolism and heart rate is capped as well.

I wonder why the heart rate of a long distance runner is capped in the 40s though.
 
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Mito

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But a lower heart rate actually is good if it's because your training has strengthened your heart muscle, increasing its stroke volume.
Peat mentioned something similar on a KMUD interview. He said something like some people may have lower resting heart rates because that have larger hearts and therefore a larger stroke volume. I think this is the reason often cited for men tending to have lower resting heart rates than women (or larger people vs smaller people).
 

InChristAlone

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Let's see what Ray has to say about heart rate:

" A basic property of the heart muscle is that when it beats more frequently, it beats more strongly. This is called the staircase effect, from the way a tracing of its motion rises, beat by beat, as the rate of stimulation is increased. This is a logical way to behave, but sometimes it fails to occur: In shock, and in heart failure, the pulse rate increases, without increasing the volume of blood pumped in each contraction."

'The combination of pulse rate and temperature is much better than either one alone. I happened to see two people whose resting pulse rates were chronically extremely high, despite their hypothyroid symptoms. When they took a thyroid supplement, their pulse rates came down to normal. (Healthy and intelligent groups of people have been found to have an average resting pulse rate of 85/minute, while less healthy groups average close to 70/minute.)"

"Some hypothyroid people have a very slow pulse, apparently because they aren't compensating with a large production of adrenalin. When they eat, the liver's increased production of T3 is likely to increase both their temperature and their pulse rate."
 
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Mito

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Let's see what Ray has to say about heart rate:
A few more.

“So getting your estrogen progesterone balance is probably the basic thing to work on, since progesterone has a sort of digitalis-like affect of increasing the stroke volume, making the heart work more efficiently with fewer beats.” - RP

“Yeah, there have been experiments with animals increasing their Co2 and watching what happens to the heart and blood vessels and Co2 relaxes the blood vessels so it decreases peripheral resistance and that makes the heart able to pump more blood more easily with less work. So it usually means a bigger stroke volume.” - RP

“Yeah, but most people are running on adrenalin and I’ve known people, one woman who had a 180 pulse steadily for years, another person had been around a 130 resting pulse for a long time, and both of these people within two weeks got down to a normal under a 100 pulse rate when they supplemented thyroid. And one of the things the thyroid is doing is increasing your Co2 and decreasing the lactic acid and the inflammation so that your capillaries open up, you have less peripheral resistance, so your heart doesn’t have to work so frantically.” - RP
 

InChristAlone

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A few more.

“So getting your estrogen progesterone balance is probably the basic thing to work on, since progesterone has a sort of digitalis-like affect of increasing the stroke volume, making the heart work more efficiently with fewer beats.” - RP

“Yeah, there have been experiments with animals increasing their Co2 and watching what happens to the heart and blood vessels and Co2 relaxes the blood vessels so it decreases peripheral resistance and that makes the heart able to pump more blood more easily with less work. So it usually means a bigger stroke volume.” - RP

“Yeah, but most people are running on adrenalin and I’ve known people, one woman who had a 180 pulse steadily for years, another person had been around a 130 resting pulse for a long time, and both of these people within two weeks got down to a normal under a 100 pulse rate when they supplemented thyroid. And one of the things the thyroid is doing is increasing your Co2 and decreasing the lactic acid and the inflammation so that your capillaries open up, you have less peripheral resistance, so your heart doesn’t have to work so frantically.” - RP
Anything over around 105 is most likely adrenaline. So when thyroid and progesterone are good and carb intake is good then the pulse can come down. But he clearly states on his website 70 is low thyroid.

I am 5'1 so my pulse is generally between 80-105. After a hot shower it can be 110. But it's all contextual I also have good temps. My kids have 90+. I'm sure their hearts aren't failing.
 

yerrag

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Anything over around 105 is most likely adrenaline. So when thyroid and progesterone are good and carb intake is good then the pulse can come down. But he clearly states on his website 70 is low thyroid.

I am 5'1 so my pulse is generally between 80-105. After a hot shower it can be 110. But it's all contextual I also have good temps. My kids have 90+. I'm sure their hearts aren't failing.

That's a very good pulse. Keep it up (no pun intended).

My thyroid is fine. Temps are normal. And my EEG QTc value is good, as well as my Achilles tendon reflex.

But my resting heart rate is often at 65, occasionally goes beyond 70.

I can say working on increasing my metabolism through various metabolic boosters that are peaty would bump up my heart rate, but so would my blood pressure.

In my case, it's not my thyroid but underlying issues relating to my kidneys and the need to protect it from free radicals from lead toxicity.

It's not only thyroid that would determine our heart rate, as.the body will find a certain balance depending on one's condition, and this would affect the rate at which the heart beats.
 
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I would say that if the graphs weren’t manipulated, i.e. if each axis actually started at ZERO as it should, the realization would that it actually shows nothing.
 

yerrag

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(Healthy and intelligent groups of people have been found to have an average resting pulse rate of 85/minute, while less healthy groups average close to 70/minute.)"

It just occurred to me that this statement makes a whole lot of sense. It seemed rather condescending at first, in a way that speaks down to me, since my heart rate is lower than 70.

I'm thinking about my case here. I find that my heart rate is capped below 70 because to increase it would compromise my health, according to my body's own control system. I could take metabolic boosters (coffee, niacinamide, progesterone etc.) to increase my heart rate, but that would be going against my body's self-defined limits. It's telling me "trust me, you're better off this way, for you have certain conditions that would put undue stresses on your body's ability to keep itself in good health, were you to strain your body in your quest to increase metabolism." When I took these boosters, my blood pressure would increase. To me, the body is constricting my blood vessels to impede blood flow, and thus decrease my tissue oxygenation rate (a hypoxic condition is needed to increase uric acid production, and I needed plenty of uric acid as an antioxidant to protect me from the free radicals produced from lead toxicity in my kidneys).

Note that I'm healthy enough to have healthy body temperature, and I have very good immunity. No allergies. Last flu and fever was 18 years ago. My body temperature is 37C. My energy production is sufficient to cover my health thus far. But because I can't produce more energy, there are certain things I would be limited from, as there is no surplus energy beyond keeping my health. This is where on the development side, I would find myself short. As Ray Peat has talked about surplus energy being used for brain development, I would be handicapped in a way on this end.

If a person were to grow advanced in years, yet have surplus energy, and this energy is applied to further develop his mind, he would not be senile, but would be sharp and with his accumulated knowledge and experience, be also possessed of wisdom, and continue to be productive. Perhaps that's why the people in the Old Testament were able to grow wise beyond their years, as they lived long. There were no GMOs then, and much of the environment were free from pollution, and there was no money to be made in healthcare. And Cain's descendants had not multiplied that much yet.
 
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danielbb

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It just occurred to me that this statement makes a whole lot of sense. It seemed rather condescending at first, in a way that speaks down to me, since my heart rate is lower than 70.

I'm thinking about my case here. I find that my heart rate is capped below 70 because to increase it would compromise my health, according to my body's own control system. I could take metabolic boosters (coffee, niacinamide, progesterone etc.) to increase my heart rate, but that would be going against my body's self-defined limits. It's telling me "trust me, you're better off this way, for you have certain conditions that would put undue stresses on your body's ability to keep itself in good health, were you to strain your body in your quest to increase metabolism." When I took these boosters, my blood pressure would increase. To me, the body is constricting my blood vessels to impede blood flow, and thus decrease my tissue oxygenation rate (a hypoxic condition is needed to increase uric acid production, and I needed plenty of uric acid as an antioxidant to protect me from the free radicals produced from lead toxicity in my kidneys).

Note that I'm healthy enough to have healthy body temperature, and I have very good immunity. No allergies. Last flu and fever was 18 years ago. My body temperature is 37C. My energy production is sufficient to cover my health thus far. But because I can't produce more energy, there are certain things I would be limited from, as there is no surplus energy beyond keeping my health. This is where on the development side, I would find myself short. As Ray Peat has talked about surplus energy being used for brain development, I would be handicapped in a way on this end.

If a person were to grow advanced in years, yet have surplus energy, and this energy is applied to further develop his mind, he would not be senile, but would be sharp and with his accumulated knowledge and experience, be also possessed of wisdom, and continue to be productive. Perhaps that's why the people in the Old Testament were able to grow wise beyond their years, as they lived long. There were no GMOs then, and much of the environment were free from pollution, and there was no money to be made in healthcare. And Cain's descendants had not multiplied that much yet.
Interesting and thoughtful comments. Thanks for posting!
 

Optimus

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Interesting to see India being such an outlier in the last map. Explains the high IQ in part I think.
 

InChristAlone

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That's a very good pulse. Keep it up (no pun intended).

My thyroid is fine. Temps are normal. And my EEG QTc value is good, as well as my Achilles tendon reflex.

But my resting heart rate is often at 65, occasionally goes beyond 70.

I can say working on increasing my metabolism through various metabolic boosters that are peaty would bump up my heart rate, but so would my blood pressure.

In my case, it's not my thyroid but underlying issues relating to my kidneys and the need to protect it from free radicals from lead toxicity.

It's not only thyroid that would determine our heart rate, as.the body will find a certain balance depending on one's condition, and this would affect the rate at which the heart beats.
Yeah thyroid is not the only reason. Kidneys/adrenals seem to be involved as well. Which yes if you have a problem with either of those things can get interesting. You seem to understand your condition well. And you are doing what you can which is great.
 

InChristAlone

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Mito

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No just yrs of checking in with my own measurements.
It would be interesting to know what Fitbit calculates for your (or others with reported high pulse rates) resting heart rate. Fitbit tracks your heartbeat 24/7 and records your resting heart rate only after its has not detected any movement for a good amount of time.
 

InChristAlone

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It would be interesting to know what Fitbit calculates for your (or others with reported high pulse rates) resting heart rate. Fitbit tracks your heartbeat 24/7 and records your resting heart rate only after its has not detected any movement for a good amount of time.
No movement?? If that's the case it wouldn't be that accurate as most people are moving their arms even when sitting.
 

yerrag

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Interesting and thoughtful comments. Thanks for posting!

Glad you appreciated it. It reminds me of a psychologist, Maslow. Of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs. We first take care of our survival, then fill our basic needs, building up to internal growth and self-actualization. I think this theory is core to how our body works as well. We don't get to develop our intelligence, nor our cosmetic appearance well, when the body is focused on survival and has no energy left for developing on other areas that can be considered optional. This is a physiological extension, or even, a basis, if you will, of his theory.
 
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Mito

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No movement?? If that's the case it wouldn't be that accurate as most people are moving their arms even when sitting.
Fitbit won’t release their algorithm for calculating resting heart rate but on their help forum a moderator said it figures out when you fell asleep and then looks at your heart for example 10 minutes (or something like that) before you fell asleep. This does seem like a true resting heart rate and probably explains why the numbers the graphs are so low.

“The basal or resting heart rate (HRrest) is defined as the heart rate when a person is awake, in a neutrally temperate environment, and has not been subject to any recent exertion or stimulation, such as stress or surprise. A large body of evidence indicates that the normal range is 60-100 beats per minute.”
Heart rate - Wikipedia
 

InChristAlone

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Fitbit won’t release their algorithm for calculating resting heart rate but on their help forum a moderator said it figures out when you fell asleep and then looks at your heart for example 10 minutes (or something like that) before you fell asleep. This does seem like a true resting heart rate and probably explains why the numbers the graphs are so low.

“The basal or resting heart rate (HRrest) is defined as the heart rate when a person is awake, in a neutrally temperate environment, and has not been subject to any recent exertion or stimulation, such as stress or surprise. A large body of evidence indicates that the normal range is 60-100 beats per minute.”
Heart rate - Wikipedia
Yeah when I'm in bed my heart rate can get as low as 75. Which I think is healthy as it's really difficult to sleep with a racing heart (which I've had to do too). So yes that would explain the lower numbers if they are using a laying down number.
 
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Mito

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it's really difficult to sleep with a racing heart (which I've had to do too).
After you fall asleep your heart rate will drop below your resting heart rate (like 10 or more bpm depending on sleep stage) with a Fitbit you can see this on the graph in the app.
 

tara

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I wonder why the heart rate of a long distance runner is capped in the 40s though.
Combination of adaptations: increased heart volume and decreased basic metabolic rate?
 

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