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Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.
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Stevens believes it’s when a PWC repeatedly moves from their anaerobic to aerobic heart rate levels, they bring on crashes and more severe crashes. Athletes utilize knowledge of this AT level all the time to optimize their training, as when you move into your aerobic heart rate you begin oxygen deprivation and workouts become less efficient.
Same for PWCs, except think of it as our daily energy envelope gets smaller in addition to depriving our already foggy brains of oxygen. Her recommendation is to identify your AT, wear a heart rate monitor, and then start to learn what causes your heart to increase. When it goes to or above your AT, stop what you’re doing and allow it to return to your resting heart rate.
This shift from aerobic to anaerobic energy production. I wonder how easily or quickly that can occur. I know exercise can do but what about when I get upset about something and my heart races - am I throwing my system into an anerobic state?
Not all CFSers have the same level of PEM. for some they can exercise and feel lousy for a few days but it does no longterm problems and others. like me, it can cause relapses lasting for more than 6 months or even years.
This shift from aerobic to anaerobic energy production. I wonder how easily or quickly that can occur. I know exercise can do but what about when I get upset about something and my heart races - am I throwing my system into an anerobic state?
These are all great questions people raise. I think what gets to the core of Cort/Cloud's points is the anaerobic threshold. Now that I wear a heart rate monitor at all times (band around my chest, with a wrist watch to update my HR in time), I see what increases my HR - physical or mental. And as soon as I see it rise quickly or above my AT, I either sit down or take deep breaths, put my feet up, all the tricks to get the HR down. I'm learning what causes it, how quickly it can occur and how to manage it... and the only reason is because it's on my wrist. I can't miss it. I'm in the habit of looking anytime I stand, make a sudden move, stretch, feel stressed. it's extremely helpful to identify bad habits and start to change them.
The way the AT is determined is through a mix of the AT on day one and day two. Day one they have to assume is a "normal day" for you. And then day two's AT is significantly lower, due to the stress of the prior day. This day two assumes a "bad day" level. They take some version of an average of the two to decide the number to recommend you live within on a daily basis.
Regarding the other questions about this causing a relapse, I think it's what people are comfortable doing. If you have experienced a 6 month relaps from minimal exertion, probably not the test for you. I have to admit, I'm down a lot longer than expected. I'm on day 15, and still not back to "my normal."
I will make sure to address these sorts of questions in Part 3.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!