The improvement was slow but steady and was also “sticky” I could go a couple weeks without doing tVNS and my HRV stayed good.
I have not done tVNS for about a year and my HRV has dropped. So I don’t know if that is due to the stoppage of tVNS (which I think is the biggest factor) or the Tz and or the Rt.
I am going to start it back up tonight though, It’s been on my mind for a couple months.
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adssx
#22
@Steve_Combi these charts just show your morning HRV, correct? So you wake up, stay in bed, put whatever device on, measure it, and then remove it and start your day and EliteHRV automatically plots that?
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Yes, that is correct. After reading about what devices are accurate enough (most are not) and the proper time to measure HRV, I settled on EliteHRV and the Polar10 strap. I did purchase a device from EliteHRV that they no longer sell, it’s a finger clip and a bit more convenient for the HRV measurement.
The thing with HRV is in the “V”, variable is the key as our HRV changes with activity and can be very misleading. By doing it immediately after waking and not getting out of bed, either lying down or sitting up, you get a consistent and more reliable measurement for a trend over time.
Any other measurements outside this window are indeed “variable” 
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I checked out the NuroSym, the price is a bit ridiculous but the ear clip looks interesting, I’d love to see the contact area.
Nurosym Regular price $1,045.18 CAD
Also I don’t see any way to control the “program” I do see an intensity control in the manual but not much else. This is why I like the DIY method with a $100 TENS unit and a $15 ear clip. I have complete control of the 5 important parameters;
- Mode – constant or modulated
- Power – ma (milliamps) or level of power
- Pulse width – in μs (micro-seconds)
- Frequency – in Hz (hertz or cycles per second
- Time – how long to run the device.
Even lying in bed after waking is variable. Alcohol consumption has a big effect (today is a drinking day)
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adssx
#26
Yes I’ve been scammed 
But I didn’t want to research into all the parameters and hoped that they chose the “best” ones instead of me trying to find out what I should select…
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I think that’s called a confounding variable
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The cool thing is… those variables can provide different effects, from BP lowering to improvement in digestion to immune support.
I found a slight decrease in BP with a PW of 250 μs and a Freq of 100
adssx
#29
Yes but it’s so hard to know what does what. There’s 5 variables, most of them continuous. The problem space is too big to explore in a lifetime!
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There are really only 2 variables that would occasionally be changed. Freq and PW and of those 2 are the only one that I’ve changed is the Freq. I do provide a good starting settings that for some would never need to be changed.
The other 3 variables are not often changed.
One variable you already change in the unit you have is the “power” and that would not change the effect much, it is more a comfort adjustment.
It’s not too complicated
adssx
#31
Double check-in your graph: after a year of tVNS (and probably other things) your HRV only increased from 52 to 57 ms? So +5 ms in 1y?
My HRV is very low for my age (~45 ms, although that was just my first morning measure we’ll see the rest of the week, and I’ve been sick recently so hopefully it’ll increase a bit after I recover fully). I checked at how to improve it and it seems that… There’s no clear way 
2 Likes
tj_long
#32
I have been tracking my HRV (rMSSD) every morning for a couple of years using Polar H10 + HRV4Training. After being sick, it usually takes a few days for my HRV to return to normal.
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adssx
#33
Good to know, thanks. What’s the typical maximum drawdown after being sick?
tj_long
#34
rMSSD is quite volatile when viewed on a day-to-day basis, but for example, my normal range is 50–70. After being sick, it might drop to 30–40 for a few days. A value that is too high usually indicates a strong training response, and it’s a good idea to take the day easier—similarly, of course, if it’s very low and resting heart rate is elevated.
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While that may not seem like much of an increase, keep in mind I started around 45ms.
55+ is ahead of the curve for a 68 yo. With the EliteHRV app there is a chart that looks like an bell curve with the higher bars in the middle. The tall center bar indicates the average for all the people using EliteHRV. Many if not most of those people are into fitness and healthy living. My score of 57 put me significantly past that high bar where there were fewer people. Basically my HRV of 57 is exceptional for a “man my age” considering that over the time period of this write up I was 50lbs over weight, not very active, and having a few drinks.
From Whoop
Jan 30, 2020 — The middle 50% of 20-25 year olds usually fall in the 55-105 range, while 60-65 year olds are normally between 25-45.
From EliteHRV
Mar 10, 2021 — The average HRV score for Elite HRV users is 59.3 (on a 1-100 scale) with 75% of users’ HRV scores falling between 46.3 and 72.0.
And from Welltory a nice chart
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adssx
#36
Yes, your HRV is great! I just wanted to know how much I could expect from tVNS, and it seems that it’s about +10 ms, which, if I’m at 45 ms (at age 32) would still be far below the average for my age (~70 ms). But first, let’s see if my HRV increases when I fully recover from my viral infection…
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When I was doing tVNS 4 to 5 times a week, it really improved my HRV recovery time from cold, flu, etc. I think I noted one instance when I had kidney stones and how my declining HRV indicated something was happening prior to the stones and the rapid recovery of my HRV
I think this is one of the benefits of measuring HRV daily. It can predict impending health conditions. It won’t tell you what or exactly when but you will see your HRV response.
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That is why it is important to only measure it once per day, at the same time, in the same position, under the same conditions. Shortly upon waking will provide that.
That process will help to establish a solid trend over time. Other wise, tracking HRV is a waste of time.
tj_long
#39
Yes, exactly, the trend is your friend. HRV is best measured in a seated position.
” In particular, the reason for doing so, is the following: adding a little stress (e.g. sitting or standing instead of lying down), might better capture your physiological response (or capacity to deal with stress for the day).”
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Since I’ve been doing this for 4 years lying down, changing would mess up my data
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