What the StressChecker will help you to do
The purpose of the StressChecker is to help you break-free from often feeling stressed-out.
It achieves this by giving you the means by which you can begin to manage your sense of physical and psychological well-being. More specifically:
it accurately measures your current level of stress, giving you a clear indication of just how much pressure you're under;
it enables you to assess the impact of various aspects of your lifestyle on your sense of well-being and vitality;
it gives you the information you need to start experimenting with change and learning what works best at relaxing you. In this way, you may gradually break-free of the sense of being overwhelmed and stressed-out.
How the StressChecker works
Through the sensor clip, which is attached to the earlobe, the StressChecker firstly measures your heartbeats per minute and, secondly, the time interval between each heartbeat.
Most people aren't aware that the time between each heartbeat is not the same. It only varies by a few milliseconds, but measuring the difference between each heartbeat, your so-called 'heart rate variability' (or HRV for short), gives us a very accurate measure of just how much stress you're under.
The StressChecker equipment then uses these two measures to calculate your current stress score and your Relax Index (the average score of your latest three measurements).
It is scientifically proven that a good HRV indicates a well-functioning autonomic nervous system. As well as enabling you to carry out activities that require physical exertion, the autonomic nervous system also ensures that your body relaxes again once the situation has passed.
A low HRV indicates an imbalance in the autonomic system, which may be due to physical and/or psychological overload. This is often paired with stress, depression, fatigue or illness (or even just a common cold, which you don't seem to be able to shake off).
The StressChecker Professional & Clinical Edition - How it differs from the Home-Use Edition
The StressChecker Professional & Clinical version is supplied with handbook written for coaches, trainers and healthcare professionals. It is also supplied with a fingertip sensor, in addition to the standard earlobe sensor supplied with Home-Use edition. The fingertip sensor has been specially designed to work under bright/artifical lighting and also fits onto larger fingers.
The StressChecker Professional & Clinical Edition - Summary of Key benefits
Simply and objectively checks clients stress level and capacity to recover.
Measurements are based on pulse and heart rate variability (HRV).
Shows the impact of your clients lifestyle on their vitality.
Helps you to plan your clients sports and fitness training activities.
Enables you to discover what relaxes your patients/clients and to plan their relaxation and training activities to achieve optimum results.
All measurement results of all your clients are stored separately and assess their impact.
A fingertip sensor, specially designed to work under bright/artificial lighting conditions and to fit onto larger fingers is supplied as an alternative option to using the earclip sensor.
About Stress - the Causes
Different people have different stress causes, and stress is often the result of a combination of many different factors. Some of the most common stress factors are listed below.
External Causes
Work-related factors - such as significant pressure at work, too-high expectations, too much responsibility, too little support or a poor working atmosphere. Stress can also be caused by the work being either too difficult or, perhaps surprisingly, too easy. Likewise, unemployment, redundancy or bankruptcy almost inevitably carry with them a great deal of stress.
Non-work-related factors - these are events in your life which just happen to you, such as the death of a loved one, marital problems, financial problems or involvement in a serious accident.
Internal Causes
Some people are, by their very nature, more likely to develop stress than others. This depends in part on the individual's personality. For example, some people find it difficult to say 'No' or have an exaggerated sense of responsibility. Perfectionism and not allowing yourself enough time to rest or relax can also cause stress.
Please note!
The StressChecker is a highly sensitive scientific instrument. Because of this high sensitivity, people suffering from certain medical conditions may find that the accuracy of the readings made by the device is reduced. For this reason, it is recommended that anyone who has frequently occurring cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), has heart failure, is fitted with a cardiac pacemaker or who takes heart medications called Beta-blockers should not purchase the StressChecker because it will be of limited use to them.
System Requirements:
OS: 20 MB of free disk space
PCs with Windows 7, 8 or 10 (32/64 bits), or tablets with Windows 8 or 10
20 MB-1.5 GB free disk space, depending on Windows update levels
VGA monitor (800×600) 16 bit
Internet connection, required for activation
