Monday, July 3, Riverton, CT
A simple wake up around 5am. Needing to meditate even before getting out of bed. I used an unguided meditation this morning, concentrated on my breathing, and before I knew it 10 minutes was up. This is getting easier! However, because we had such a busy day yesterday- we were working desperately to protect our ripening blueberries from the blue jays, blue birds and robins- erecting a structure and stringing up netting, I didn’t get the rest and rejuvenation I needed in order to have better sleep and a better readiness score today. I feel ok, however my HR, HRV and therefore my recovery index are telling me I need a resting day. Luckily, I can take a rest today. What does a resting day look like? I think for today perhaps some reading in the morning on the couch or lounge chair (if the weather ever clears), a nice shower with some comfy clothes, perhaps a nice walk… what does a recovery day look like for you?
Morning Stats:
Readiness 68, Resting HR 63, HRV 18ms, max HRV 50ms
Sleep 84, deep sleep 9%
Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 63bpm, curve was actually showing my HR was going up during the meditation (That is odd!)
Average HRV 29ms, and because the HR was going up, the HRV was going down during the meditation
Skin Temperature- curve going up during the meditation
Finally! I was able to incorporate a second meditation into my day! I did a guided meditation that was very relaxing. My brain is in creativity mode, so in order to really relax, I needed the deep breathing, concentrating on the exhale and elongating the exhale combined with a deep relaxation. It felt awesome. I am hoping for better sleep this evening!
Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 65bpm
Average HRV 32ms, highest 34ms
Skin Temperature: a nice curve upwards
Tuesday, July 4, Riverton, CT
Woke up tons in the middle of the night, did not sleep well. Do NOT feel rested at ALL. Managed to meditate first thing before getting out of bed. Not sure why my daily stats and meditation stats are not so good today. I’ll have to try to rest a little bit more today, no active exercising, and trying to do another meditation during the day will help.
Morning Stats:
Readiness Score 64, Resting HR 66bpm, HRV 18ms, max37ms
Sleep Score 78, deep sleep 6% (Yikes! No wonder I don’t feel rested!)
Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 65bpm
Average HRV 19ms
Skin Temperature graph shows slight increase upwards, so I was able to relax during the meditation and it did feel good during the meditation, but my body may not have felt the effects.
Second Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 67bpm
Average HRV 16ms
Skin Temperature: Nice curve upwards demonstrating I was able to relax
Wednesday, July 5, Riverton, CT
I was able to finally sleep through the night. Finally! I think the stacking of resting, hydration and two meditations helped to make my evening and nights sleep more restful. I also went to bed early, relaxed with a book, took some extra time with my night skin routine, all in all a restful day and evening which I think helped me sleep tremendously.
Morning Stats:
Readiness 71, resting HR 63bpm (still elevated), HRV 23 ms, max 45ms
Sleep Score 87, Deep sleep 17%
This morning I did a guided breathing meditation through the app on my Oura ring. It worked beautiful to energize me to wake up, but also was very relaxing.
Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 62bpm (going in the right direction!)
Average HRV 39ms (also going in the right direction!) highest 50ms
Skin Temperature Nice trend upwards throughout the meditation
Thursday, July 6th, Riverton, CT
Managed a tidy little meditation in my comfy chair in my bedroom- Jason must have slept on the couch for some reason. Having my bedroom all to myself in the morning is lovely and allows me to great the day in a slower, easier way.
My meditation this morning was excellent. A new guided meditation from my Oura ring. It really helped me relax deeper I think- as I have been struggling this week with a slightly elevated HR, feeling extra tired, I think the meditation really helped set me up for the day.
Morning Stats:
Readiness Score 75, Resting HR 59bpm, HRV 27ms, Max 53ms
Sleep Score 88, Deep Sleep 18%
Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 61bpm
Average HRV 44ms
Skin Temperature- nice curve indicating I was relaxed
Friday, July 7th, Riverton, CT
Slept through the night! I feel I am reporting out to my mom how my newborn slept! Bringing me right back to Ella’s early days on the planet, everything revolved around how well Ella and her momma slept. Different stages of our lives lend themselves to different priorities!
Morning Stats:
Readiness Score 66, Resting HR still remains elevated at 63, HRV 20ms, max 39ms
Sleep Score 82, Deep Sleep 14%
Meditation Stats:
Lowest HR 63
Average HRV 38ms, highest 40ms
Skin Temperature nice straight line up and to the right
Here is where I stopped. In all honesty, at the time, I am not sure why I stopped. Looking back, I think partly it was stressing me out and partly I was starting to not feel very well.
The following week, what was supposed to be week 4 for my experiment, I tested positive for COVID. This was the first time I had Covid-19 and quite frankly, I was shocked when I tested myself. I worked from home last week, with the some upper respiratory symptoms that only lasted about two days, but the shortness of breath, fatigue and brain fog lasted well over a week. I was also completely disinterested in doing anything. I literally sat on our screened in porch so I was not contaminating the house or anyone else, and just sat, staring at the trees and the rain. I was not myself. For many days.
While I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to make it through the four weeks of meditation, I understand why I stopped.
You’ll be happy to know that I have restarted, but I am not going to be as stringent about monitoring my stats on my Oura ring. I catch mini meditations here and there during the day as I can, I am practicing deep breathing exercises to fall asleep and to relax in the middle of the day. Overall, I am trying to incorporate the wellness of meditation into my everyday life. I think it is working, but the true gauge, the correct barometer to how this is working is how I am feeling.
Today, I feel better.
And, my HR and HRV stats this morning are back to normal.
Back to work tomorrow.
Be Well,
Teresa