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Using a heart rate variability measurement, it is possible to visualize the autonomic nervous system. This principle is based on the fact that the heart beats at a certain frequency. The distance between two beats is almost equal at rest, but not exactly. The differences in the intervals between heartbeats is called heart rate variability. How variable this interval is depends on the activity of the autonomic nervous system, which stems from nerves in the upper cervical and upper thoracic spine.

Source: Dr. Matthias Meier

The upper figure on p. 30 shows a patient who is in a state of sympathetic dominance (white dot). Some stress factor (physical, chemical or physiological) causes the body to respond with a stress reaction. Her symptomatology included digestive problems, recurring skin problems, difficulty concentrating and pain in her spine with bouts of dizziness. The lower figure on p. 30 shows a patient who has been exposed to combined stress for decades and in whom the typical stress reaction has degenerated into a burn-out situation, and thus into a deeply parasympathetic state. His clinical history includes constant fatigue, night sweats, lack of motivation and several past cardiac events. Both patients are experiencing abnormally low levels of autonomic nervous system activity and as a result do not have optimal sleep or optimal healing ability. The goal is to bring both patients into the green zone (dashed zone in the middle).