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I can tell you that my heart rate changes when I'm in a trade but I don't particularly worry about it. I think it's quite natural.
What is the focus here:
1 - To try to be less stressed when in a trade for your health?
2 - To try to improve your trading by reducing the associated stress?
Recording facial expressions has been mentioned here. Lets say you pull a funny face when you are in a trade, would keeping a straight face improve your trading?
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
I would like to continue a discussion started by Gary about biofeedback and inspired by Brett Steenbarger TraderFeed: Biofeedback for Performance: A Best Practice in Trading (
This is a home made, not scientific, recepe that I would like to share and …
and based on studies 6 and 7. Like a mentioned it is not a scientific approach but rather a personal experiment.
Understood - but maybe the heart rate change is a positive thing. Maybe this helps your trading, maybe it hinders your trading or maybe it is irrelevant.
I can tell my heart speeds up without a monitor - it's never something that I've thought of changing though.
The table where you have heart rate & result might cause you to assign some cause & effect.
For instance, a trade might be +ve and then go -ve, a trade might go straight -ve and another may be straight +ve. You may also have a few that start out -ve and turn +ve.
There is also the possibility that the awareness of monitoring skews the results. I don't know if you've tried it - but strap on the monitor and without any breathing exercises or anything like that - try willing your heart rate down.
Trading: Emini ES, Emini RTY (TF), Crude CL, Eurex DAX, Euronext CAC40, EuroFX 6E, and Hang Seng HSI
Posts: 47 since Mar 2011
Thanks Given: 125
Thanks Received: 61
Hi,
I've been measuring my blood pressure (primary important) and heart rate (secondary important) for about 10 years now...almost every trading day although I don't plug the data into some computer for analysis. It's just a habit I developed from my teenage years when I competed internationally in sports.
Although I do such out of habit and as a way to detect early symptoms of problems in my health especially via the fact that I trade full-time...it's a must for anyone that's involved in trading and has existing health problems. Simply, waiting for after the trading day has completed or doing such on during a semi-annual physical is a disaster waiting to happen.
My point is that you need to measure both (blood pressure and heart rate) instead of heart rate alone via instruments certified and recommended by your physician.
With that said, I've seen my blood pressure rise when my heart rate has barely moved while trading...most likely the reason why my heart rate barely changes while trading is due to my fitness. Thus, its the reason why my blood pressure is much more important than my heart rate while trading.
Thanks for your contribution, very interesting, it adds material for an open discussion. Did you find any patterns that could help or improve your trading?
Trading: Emini ES, Emini RTY (TF), Crude CL, Eurex DAX, Euronext CAC40, EuroFX 6E, and Hang Seng HSI
Posts: 47 since Mar 2011
Thanks Given: 125
Thanks Received: 61
Hi,
For clarification, I started measuring my blood pressure and heart rate as a teenager while competing in sports but continue doing such in other activities as I got older. Yet, in the past 10 years (no in my 40's)...it became a natural habit to monitor such while trading full time.
As I mention, I don't do computer analysis of my data. My main purpose for doing such is as a mechanism to pick up early signs of health problems.
Yet, for trading purposes, I do know my blood pressure rises while trading...while in a losing trade or when doing something that's not part of my normal routine. To help manage such...I take frequent breaks from trading via walking way from the computer to do something personal that's relaxing (e.g. listening to relaxation music, stretching) until my blood pressure returns to normal.
It has also taught not to trade if stressed prior to the trading day due to something occurring in my personal life. Statistically, I have a higher chance of a losing trading day when I'm already stressed from a personal issue that needed attention to be resolved. Simply, my mind is elsewhere and it's not a good time to be trading.
My point is that I don't need computer analysis to reveal patterns in the relationship of stress and trading...to know when my head is in the game and when it's not. That's something I developed from all those years of competitive sports. Yet, the blood pressure monitoring does something I didn't intend to use it for...it tells me when a change has occurred in my routine that needs to be resolved prior to the next trade.
More importantly, I think from a health point of view, if someone has 'high blood pressure" only while trading or existing before trading...they need to make dramatic changes in their personal lifestyle (eating habits, exercise, mental well being) and trading habits (routine) if they want any longevity in this business especially as a full-time trader. It's a known fact the negative things that high blood pressure does to the body is it persists beyond a few months. In contrast, someone that only sees trading as a part-time gig, occasional trades or as a hobby will be less susceptible to the stresses of trading.