Introduction to eSense Pulse

There are various methods for measuring the heartbeat. With the eSense Pulse, we have decided on a chest strap that performs a 1-channel ECG measurement. There are two electrodes in the chest strap which require good, direct skin contact. The chest strap must always be worn under clothing.

In order to ensure a good contact between the electrodes and the skin, the enclosed electrode contact spray or an equivalent electrode gel should be used. Without it, the heartbeat sensors will not take sufficient measurements, which makes a precise HRV measurement difficult. For more information, see the article about the open training.

The eSense Pulse uses a 500 Hz sampling rate (500 times per second) to determine heart beats and wirelessly transmits the time between two heart beats to your smartphone/tablet and the eSense App in milliseconds via Bluetooth. Compared to the normal electrocardiogram (ECG), in which the waveform is very important, the measurement of heart rate variability focuses on the temporal resolution of the RR intervals.

With this data, the eSense App can then perform various calculations, such as determining the heart rate (beats per minute or, colloquially, the pulse), the heart rate variability with various analysis parameters and biofeedback training. In the article explanation of the individual measured values, all parameters of the eSense App and their meaning are explained clearly.

It also important to note that heart rate variability benefits respiration. Of particular interest is the coupling of heartbeat and respiration in order to determine the degree of coherence or synchronization of heart rhythm and respiratory rate. This is also done in the eSense App.

The heart rate increases when inhaling and decreases again when exhaling This phenomenon is called respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and is used to check the balance of the nervous system. Biofeedback training in the eSense App uses this phenomenon to improve heart rate variability with the help of a breathing target.

Regular biofeedback training with the eSense Pulse has a positive effect on heart rate variability and RSA, and both have a positive effect on a number of stress-related problems. Bring your nervous system back into balance!