24/7 time scale how active the brain is?

[Peter Gamma]

Garmin has a all day stress feature which is implemented in some watches, for instance in the vivoactive 3. The allgorithm is from firstbeat, but the algorithm to calculate stress is not published by firstbeat:

https://www.firstbeat.com/en/blog/all-d ... all-about/

In Garmin connect, it is possible, to see stress distribution during 24h, the scale goes from 0 which means 100 % recovered to 100 which means 100 % stressed. Unfortunately, Garmin connect shows only an all day stress value. Stress during an activity, for instance during a meditation cannot be shown.

This feature can be very helpful to reduce stress, or to observe the effect of a meditation on stress. But infortunately, to obtain stess values at a certain time of the day is tricky on Garmin watches.

Is it possible to obtain similar data with the muse monitor somehow? For instance a 24/7 time scale how active the brain is, between 0 % and 100% ?

[James]

You couldn't do it for 24 hours because the Muse battery would run out, but you can certainly record your brain activity; that's exactly what Muse Monitor is for.

[Peter Gamma]

Is n there a Mod for using the muse headband 24/7?

http://forum.choosemuse.com/t/can-muse- ... leep/427/8

In his review of the Garmin Vivosmart 3, DC Rainmaker shows an example of Garmin Connect. He mentioned, that his stress level was virtually non-existent during sleep:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/04/gar ... eview.html

Garmin connect has an all day graph which shows sleep time, (black bar), times when we are stressed (orange bars), and times when we are recovered (blue bars).

These are 3 clearly defined mental states. Unfortunately, Garmin Connect is not very user friendly in options to process these data further.

Is the muse headband in combination with the muse monitor not the better device for analysing such mental states? Aren t there algorithms for sleep detection:

https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewc ... ext=theses

for concentration and relaxation (mellow)? And even if there not 100% scientifically evaluated, is it possible to have a graph with sleep time, with times when we are concentrated, and when we are relaxed? This could be very helpful for balancing ourselves.

[James]

You could break it open and replace the battery for a larger one, but I would strongly advise against that. The last thing you want is a lithium battery fire on your head while you're asleep.

The data available through Muse Monitor is show in the screenshots on the website and in the FAQs:
https://musemonitor.com/FAQ.php#csvspec

Interaxon have not made any algorithms available, but if you have your own, Muse Monitor gives you the raw data you'd need to implement them.

[Peter Gamma]

Another option would be to have two devices and change them when the battery is empty. I had this problem with Garmin watches. They cannot be charged during use either, which is a shame .

The problem is during night. As far as I know battery life of the muse headband is 5 hours. In this scenario, we have to get up after 5 hours and change the muse, which is uncomfortable. It also not possible to use the muse for the developement of a sleep detection system satisfyingly .

https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewc ... ext=theses

Interaxon, make an update, that the Muse headband can be charged during use . Wote here:

http://forum.choosemuse.com/t/can-muse- ... leep/427/8

[d0ublei]

Hi Peter,
I havent found any solid data on any of these smart watches being reliable sources of data determining stress. I am starting to dig into how to determine stress from looking at EEG data. Very interesting studies have been done but its going to take a bit for me to go though and see if any of these docs reliably point to ways to pinpoint it.

[Peter Gamma]

Some Garmin watches measure «stress». The algorithms to measure stress are from Firstbeat and are not published. According to my little experience, there is a correlation between my subjective perception and the stress data on a Garmin watch, and the stress feature is helpful. But since the algorithms are not published, they cannot be verified. I have also observed big differences in absolute values from different watches, when two Garmin watches measure stress from a subject at the same time.

In instructional videos from Firstbeat, they are only taking from «stress» and «recovery», and from the activation of sympathetic nervous system and activation of parasympathetic nervous system, and they are not talking about absolute values.

I agree that determine stress from looking at EEG data might be better, since brain wave bands are clearly defined and brain waves can be measured with methods which are published. I use the Garmin stress feature for practicing meditation, but I would love to have a more solid solution based on brain waves which is tested scientifically and published.

[Peter Gamma]

EEG data are better to quantify how calm the mind is than the Firstbeat stress monitor on Garmin watches, since Firstbeat which developed the stress monitor for Garmin watches did not publish the algorithm how stress values are calculated.

Still the Firstbeat stress monitor is helpful to visualize how calm the mind is (when the body is at rest). The stress scale from 0 to 100 is easy to interpret. EEG data with alpha, beta, gamma, theta values are better to calculate with, but more difficult to interpret.

How can we calculate a scale how calm the mind is from 0 to 100 from the alpha, beta, gamma, theta values from the muse monitor?

[Peter Gamma]

A determination how calm the mind is could eventually be calculated by a peak detection from the time-frequency plot data. Where can I find those data in the muse monitor application?

[Peter Gamma]

Muse headband forum gone? Does Interaxon not appreciate user experience?

https://forum.choosemuse.com/

Here is a link to an excellent youtube video from Adafruit for a Muse Headset Teardown. The link was in the Muse headband forum. Happily I found the video again, and I share it with you here in the mind monitor forum:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Blku7 ... tu.be&t=41