Is Respiration Rate not working?

Garmin - Chris

Would  you mind adding me please?

Please add me to the tracking case. Thank you. 

Me to please, thanks

Everyone, at the direction of the Garmin forum admins, I posted a bug in the Beta forum (since I am on beta software). If you have respiration issues or any experiences with it, would you please post it over there too (if using the beta software), or at least "upvote" it to show you have the issue as well. I think once a developer replies you will be informed too.

https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-7-series/public-beta-reports/i/public-beta-v10-xx/respiration-rate-incorrect 

Chris

Good to hear that this is now being taken further. I’d be grateful if I could be added too please.

My understanding is that Apple bases your respiration off an accelarometer - and thus is much more closely aligned with how many physical breaths you actually take.https://mashable.com/article/how-to-monitor-breathing-rate-apple-watch (no real idea how accurate that can be especially if wrist held steady on a platform etc).

Whereas with Garmin its done via your HRV - so it is unlikely to tie back your actual breaths.https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=2yEgS0Pax53UDqUH7q4WC6. The respiration widget itself is pretty useless as its an average and connect app details are difficult to see as we can't go landscape and expand. But mine is definitely not flat - it does move up and down - for example last night I hit a period around 23 (early stages just before sleep - very usual for me due to CPAP as the pressure kicks in, but at times during the day/evening (especially evening when vegging out) it can hit as low as 7/8. Is this accurate as to my actual breaths - no idea and don't think its overly important - am much more concerned about the trends as this is the more important part if you avg trend goes out of whack (so as long as its consitent base which if off HRV it should be).

So generally yes wouldn't expect it to match back to your breath; whereas I think that when you are are doing a breathwork exercise perhaps they are resorting more to acceleromter - or maybe the impact is just more focussed - as doing a 3:3:3:3 it regularly shows my breath rate around 3-5brpm - which is sort of matching my physical breaths.

Health snapshot - no idea don't use it any more as have training readiness and hrv status so see no point to a health snapshot especially as the pulse ox readings from it aren't graphed. If they were I would be more inclined to do one. But looking at older ones my breath rate is pretty flat and consistent with being in a relaxed state - when taking them I didn't control breathing would just lie there relaxed and try not to move (another great reason for not doing one - they were pretty finickety).

So while not sure whether right or run - does move for me - it isn't completely flat, but to be honest not fussed either way as not a metric I use, outside of checking it when I do a breathwork exercise.

Garmin - Chris does this also apply for FR955 users, as we (or at least myself) have the same problems? If so, you can add me, thank you. 

Unsure. If you have a concern regarding your respiration, please go here to our Sports & Fitness > Running/Multisport > Forerunner 955 forum.

- Forerunner 955

jaamgans said:

so it is unlikely to tie back your actual breaths

This is not correct and the article you mention is saying the exact opposite

"Each breath you take is coded into your heart rate variability (HRV)"

There is an abundance of research showing that the HRV metrics are highly correlated to your respiratory rate , in particular in the higher frequency domain, that is measured by the watch.

"If you slow your breathing to 6 bpm, you should observe increased HR fluctuations compared with 15 bpm. During this time, mean HR should not appreciably change because vagal tone did not change. While HF power indexes vagal modulation of HR, it does not represent vagal tone. If shifts in HF power mirrored shifts in vagal tone, they should produce corresponding changes in average HR. But, breathing at different rates within the 9–24 bpm range, which changes HF power, does not change mean HR. RSA and vagal tone are dissociated during large-scale changes in SNS activity, chemical blockade of the SA node, and when intense vagal efferent traffic dramatically slows HR during inhalation and exhalation (73). Shifts in respiration rate and volume can markedly change HRV indices (HF power, RSA, pNN50, RMSSD) without actually affecting vagal tone."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5624990/

There is also research showing that controlling your breath, even holding it, will be reflect in your HRV metrics.

iopscience.iop.org/.../2429

While I understand that algorithms might be tweaked to optimize//qualify readings depending on the expected context (like it is for HR), huge errors should not happen. If the watch says it is measuring respiration rate, I should see similar results whether I use a health snapshot, yoga, breathworks, running, biking or any type of activity.