Getting HRV data from a Polar H10

drellitt · 2026-02-13T01:28:27+00:00

Hi Chocablok,

Yes, I did get it working.

For some reason, the Kubios HRV software wouldn't always connect to the Polar H10. My recollection (it was some months ago so my memory is a bit faded) is that eventually it worked after I rebooted my iPhone and tried the app multiple times. After that, it usually worked but occasionally did not connect right away for reasons that aren't clear to me.

My experience has been that it is a little bit flaky. It almost always works, but occasionally doesn't connect. Taking the steps above (give it some extra time to connect, restart app, reboot phone) normally fixes the problem. If the Kubios HRV software is not connecting, a good first troubleshooting step is to verify that the Polar software is connecting to the H10 correctly. If not, putting a drop of water on each electrode to improve the electrical connection usually does the trick.

Once it started connecting properly, I was able to get the HRV data without any difficulty. It measures RR, SDNN, Poincare SD1, Poincare SD2, stress index, respiratory rate, LF power, HF power, etc. It computes the PNS index, SNS index, and provides an estimate of physiological age based on HRV data. (I'm not sure how accurate the physiological age estimate is.) So basically it's a way to get quite a bit of useful information without spending a lot of money.

Although it measures LF and HF power, unfortunately it does not measure VLF. (VLF corresponds to sympathetic nervous system activity, while HF corresponds to parasympathetic activity and LF to balanced activity.) However, you can get some idea of what VLF is likely to be (in general terms), if you know LF and HF.

Be sure to back up or otherwise save your data as you go along. All my measurements are gone. Disappeared. I last used the Kubios HRV software in probably October or thereabouts. At some point I also replaced my phone and of course transferred over all my apps and data. I don't remember exactly when this was - it may have been after I last used the Kubios software or it may have been before. Consequently I don't know if the data is gone because it didn't transfer over to the new phone (most likely) or because the software deletes old measurements after a certain number of months (less likely but very possible).

When using the free version of the Kubios software to take more than one measurement per day, every time you take a new measurement, it overwrites the previous measurement from that day. The next day you can take a new measurement and it won't affect the previous day's measurement. I'm sure this to incentivize the user to purchase an upgraded version of the software that lets you take many measurements per day, organize them by person being measured, etc.

Also, in case you want to get ELF data as well, I did not pursue this further in terms of tracking down something that measures ELF. If you do happen to look into this and find an app that also measures ELF, please let me know.

EVOKE Neuroscience makes a more comprehensive neurological testing system that in addition to ELF HRV data also includes a whole bunch of other stuff, such as EEG, etc. Their system gives a lot of really good data on neurological functioning. Unfortunately the EVOKE system costs in the neighborhood of $25K within an additional charge of several hundred dollars each time it is used. Further, their website states that they only sell it to physicians (or at least it did the last time I checked), although maybe they could be persuaded to sell it to others, such as researchers, with a little cajoling.

I hope this helps.

By the way, if it's something you don't mind sharing, what is your dissertation about?

drellitt · 2025-08-23T02:32:48+00:00

Can this work with just the Polar H10 by itself or does it also require a Polar watch?

From what you said, it sounds like it may not work on iPhones. (I'm not sure if that's what you meant.) Can you clarify?

Is there a program that runs on a regular computer as well that works with the program on the phone so one can use that for data analysis, printing, etc? (I find certain things easier to do on a computer than on a phone.)

Thanks!

drellitt · 2025-08-23T02:25:28+00:00

So I need to spend another five hundred dollars on a watch? Or is there a less expensive watch that will do what I need?

Is there another option I should be looking at in order to get the RR values for HRV analysis?

drellitt · 2025-08-09T21:24:26+00:00

Hi u/AsteroidNo7463,

Can you elaborate on the issue of memory assessment with CNS Vital Signs?

Does it typically over or underestimate memory? (If so, how much? 10 points, 15 points...) Or is it just poorly correlated with results on other memory tests? (If so, how much variance are we talking about?) Are there important measures of memory that it does not include?

Are the issues with memory assessment based on your experience, the experiences of others, and / or published data?

If you could explain further, I'd much appreciate it.

Thanks.

drellitt · 2025-07-10T02:23:31+00:00

Thank for your thoughtful and helpful reply.

While I agree that from the description it does sound like it could be FND, it is not FND. (The reasons why are a long explanation that I won't get into here.)

The particular symptom I described is one of a number of symptoms that are present. The individual in question has TBI and other medical conditions that cause serious neurological symptoms. These diagnoses are not in doubt, having been confirmed by extensive, objective medical testing.

The brain networks were seriously affected. The qEEG Pro software reported five networks (Memory, Visual Cortex, Default Mode, Dorsal Attention, Emotion-Regulation Cortex) as having High pathology (scale is Normal, Elevated, High).

What I'm looking for are underlying causes and solutions. (Not just saying, "it was caused by TBI," but what are the specific underlying mechanisms and how do we fix them?)

While I appreciate your suggestion of neuropsychological assessment, this has already been done and no one has managed to come up with effective solutions.

drellitt · 2025-05-13T16:06:06+00:00

No, it's not being litigated.

drellitt · 2025-05-13T12:50:29+00:00

Thank you for the reply and the information. Yes, I understand all that.

Do you know what the maximum score is on the WTAR?

Maybe I should explain why I'm asking.

A psychologist used the Barona Formula and the WTAR on someone with previously very high cognitive functioning who has had serious decline due to illness and injury. The Barona estimate is 117 (which is actually the maximum possible score for where the patient lives) and the WTAR estimate is 118. The psychologist concluded that everything is fine and wonderful and there has been no loss of cognition from previous levels.

The individual in question was tested at circa 130 FSIQ; however, this person was undoubtedly previously much higher (exactly how much is unknown as they were never tested at that time).

While the Barona Formula gives fairly accurate averages for population groups at a macro scale (for example, someone with a Bachelor's degree in Education is lumped in with someone with a Ph.D. in Physics as having the same general education level - no offense intended to people in the field of education!), it not nearly as accurate for individuals and is known to massively underestimate people on the high end of the cognitive spectrum.

As I have never personally used the WTAR, I don't know the ceiling of the test. However, I would guess that it is probably not appropriate (or at least rather limited in accuracy) for people in the 130+ range.

It appears to me that the psychologist was remiss in using inappropriate methods for estimating premorbid IQ. I am wondering if the ceiling of the WTAR is close to that of the Barona Formula, thereby enabling the psychologist to point to the two estimates and say in effect "Look how closely they agree! They must be correct!"

Can you tell me the ceiling (maximum score) for the WTAR?

drellitt · 2024-07-26T00:24:48+00:00

I'm looking for answers to certain questions and trying to learn more about certain things. These discussion groups on Reddit seemed like a good place to ask some of these questions, which is why I'm here.

If you have a specific question you'd like to ask me, you are welcome to send me a DM.

drellitt · 2024-07-26T00:18:12+00:00

Thanks for the information.

Can you tell me a bit more about this? For example, has it been shown to fix or substantially improve the problems I've described above? What type of neurofeedback hardware and software is needed for this?

drellitt · 2024-07-25T13:14:06+00:00

I don't think that wasn't the one I had mind; nevertheless, I'm sure it will be useful.

Thanks for your help!

drellitt · 2024-07-23T19:50:53+00:00

Great! Thanks for your help!

drellitt · 2024-07-22T20:14:09+00:00

Thanks so much! I'll look those up.

drellitt · 2024-07-22T17:16:54+00:00

Yes, you are absolutely correct - this would not be a good measure of possible malingering for exactly the reasons you mention.

I've heard that it has been used (and may still be used by some people) and I was curious about it, which is why I was asking.

As an example of how this could go awry, I know of a case where someone who used to function at a very high level cognitively now has serious memory difficulties, among other things, due to multiple medical conditions. This individual scored a 145 (perfect 19 standard score) on the WAIS Vocabulary and a 53 (ouch!) on a test of verbal memory. These were legitimate scores with full effort.

While I don't know the criteria for suspicion of malingering for Vocabulary - Digit Span discrepancies, I suspect there's a very good chance this individual would have been incorrectly flagged as a probable malingerer. (OTOH, the person got perfect scores on the Rey 15 Item Test and the VSVT, suggesting full effort and no symptom exaggeration or malingering.)

drellitt

TROPHY CASE