A new app called MyCalmBeat is to be released that uses a heart rate monitor attached to the ear of a user to detect their unique optimal breath rate. Once the unique breathing rate has been established the app aids training to make the breathing rate more consistent and subsequently reduces stress levels.
It is not a new idea that respiration rate can cause and be manipulated by stress. In 1980 a study conducted by William Suess and his colleagues reported that stress levels significantly increased heart rate and anxiety score but also a decreased end-tidal carbon dioxide levels which can instigate hyperventilation. However it is one of the first times research of this kind has been made into an app for android phones.
It has been noted that it is not specifically heart rate that is of greatest influence on stress levels but the inter-beat interval (the gap between heart beats). It has been reported that the more consistent the interval, the more relaxed a person becomes.
Developers at MyBrainSolutions, the creators of the app have incorporated animated games and a feedback mechanism whereby users can actually see their heart rate on their iPhone . These measures have been used to help people establish their optimum breathing rate then maintain it for a recommended period of 10 minutes per day to keep stress levels down and increase physical and emotional wellbeing .