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DISCLAIMER: this is my opinion, obviously I am not saying "this is what is definitely happening". I assumed that was a given but the world is full of surprises.
by wutwutwat 3y ago
DISCLAIMER: this is my opinion, obviously I am not saying "this is what is definitely happening". I assumed that was a given but the world is full of surprises.
> I wasn't getting enough sleep and I focused on fixing that. A few months after that, my resting heart rate started to trend down and has come back to pre-covid levels. I don't know what to make of it all
Of course you know what to make of it all. You were obsessing over the metrics available to you, as many have done as well (myself included), and increased your overall stress levels, bumping your heart rate and making it erratic, and messing up your sleep, which only served to compound it all. You took a year off from strenuous exercise you said, of course it takes time to get your resting rate back down to levels before you were sick and when actively exercising. Imo there is no mystery here. Focusing on your sleep calmed your mind and your body followed suite, combined with the exercise having time to improve circulation and make you more tired to give you better sleep, which helps to lower your overall stress levels, which lowers heart rate, etc, etc.
The true question is, did the heart rate elevation cause you any physical issues, or was the issue only that you had visibility into the number. Or put another way, had it not been for 24/7 readings of your heart rate, and notifications from your watch, would it ever have manifested itself physically and been something you felt, and noticed. Based on everything starting out with "my watch would alert me" or similar, I'm gonna say if you're honest with yourself, had you not had a watch the issue might have come and gone and never been noticed.
Edit: here come the downvotes for the crime of claiming some things can be self inflicted esp when it comes to fitbit/apple watches. I've watched countless friends and family members fall victim to the obsession of metrics, freaking out about their heart rates all the time, etc. I used to do it myself. It's not a bad thing, but it is a thing, and people need to acknowledge it.
- macintux 3y agoThere's a difference between claiming "some things can be self-inflicted" vs "your thing I'm diagnosing from your description is definitely self-inflicted". I'd upvote the former, downvote the latter.
- wutwutwat 3y agoYou must have missed the "Imo there is no mystery here" smack dab in the middle of my comment, but I added a big disclaimer at the top just now to be sure
- macintux 3y agoYour tone started aggressive and maintained that most of the way, with a couple of minor disclaimers buried in the middle. I’m mainly pointing out that downvoting isn’t necessarily “you’re wrong” but often “you’re not being constructive with your communication style”.
- wutwutwat 3y agoOne man’s direct is another man’s aggressive. I can’t help how you interpret what I wrote, and I’m not one to sound overly cheerful because it’s not accurate to how I feel about the topic. I’m also not aggressive about it. I’m indifferent, and what I wrote is if nothing else just an alternative vantage point for the parent commenter to use when making an informed decision. Placebos exist, as do physical manifestations of stress from over thinking things. Heart rate monitors are pretty well known for triggering that in people, and like I said, it did that to me when I first got one.