Inspired by the Can you hear your pulse? thread, I was wondering who is able to control their heart beat rate. I’m able to slow down the rate so long as I haven’t overexerted myself. Also, I’m able to speed it up slightly thinking about stressful situations.
I was at the doctor’s once, on a heart monitor preparing to be put under for a procedure I don’t even want to discuss. :eek: I thought it would be fun to use the feedback to see if I could reduce my heart rate. I suceeded so well that the nurse was quite distressed when she returned. I let it go, and the rate returned to normal.
I felt positively Vulcan.
Usually, I can slow mine down by holding my breath for several seconds, useful if I’ve over-exerted myself and my heart is racing.
There are other times when my heart is beating kinda crazy-like (I have an irregular heartbeat) and I can’t control it; I just gotta let it do its thing.
My heartbeat slows when I exhale, and speeds up when I inhale. If I exhale deeply, it’ll slow down quite a bit. Sometimes I’ll be in bed at night just breathing slowly and feeling my heart speed up and slow down.
I still wonder if it’s just my mind playing tricks on me.
Yep, this trick works quite well. During intense aerobic activity (cycling, running) such disciplined breathing techniques can really be helpful when your heart feels like its about to pop. Concentrate on exhaling forcefully and watch your heart rate plummet.
Same here. I can hold my breath for a good while (and about 5 years ago I was able to hold my breath under 6 feet of water for 3 minutes 20 seconds). I can confirm my heart beat slows down a whole lot after not breathing for at least 30 seconds.
I have no idea what this sort of thing is doing to my brain though 
What voyager did is called “biofeedback” and it is used to treat such things as hypertension.
Also, Tibetan monks can slow their pulse rate down and also raise their temperature. They say this is dangerous if the right procedures aren’t followed, so don’t try this a home. 