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FAQs

Q: WHAT IS SORCE?
SORCE is a data-driven platform that measures, tracks and treats the nervous system of organizations.
Q: HOW DO I DOWNLOAD THE APP?
Go to the iTunes Store to download the SORCE App. In order to unlock all its functions, you must first receive a SORCE app code from your employer.
Q: EXPLAIN MY HRV SCORE?
SORCE is grounded in modern science and tracks a bio-marker called heart rate variability (HRV) as a verifiable indicator of the stress level in an individual’s cardiac and nervous system.

SORCE gives you the ability to use HRV as a tool for managing stress, increasing energy, and revitalizing your body without putting it at risk for burnout.

For example, if a person’s HRV indicates a high degree of stress and lack of recovery they will get a “RECOVER” HRV score. If a person is somewhat recovered but not ready for higher intensity they get a “MAINTAIN”. If a person is fully recovered and ready to push the limits they will get a “PUSH”.

The patented HRV measurement method was created by HRV Fit Ltd.

Q: HOW CAN I BENEFIT FROM TAKING MY HRV SCORE?
By taking your HRV Score every day you are able to determine how recovered you are from the prior day’s stress.

Using this information, you tailor your lifestyle according to your energetic needs and modulate your choices based on your HRV.

Once you are giving your body a lifestyle it can cope with, your health and performance will improve.

It’s hard for anyone to judge whether they are under or over doing it in their life. While the first signs lead to fatigue, brain fog, disappointing performance, the second can result in increased sick days through colds, persistent fatigue or worst case, substantial periods of layoff from work and life.

The easiest way to start using HRV is to take a measurement using SORCE every morning, then your day as normal, according to your own body’s advice.

Q: WHAT IS HRV?

Heart rate variability, or HRV for short, describes the way your heart beat varies – both at rest and during exercise. Contrary to popular belief, the healthy heart does not beat like a metronome but is constantly changing the time between beats in a rhythmic way. These changes are driven by the nervous system, constantly trying to find the most efficient way for the body to operate. The fact that the nervous system makes itself visible through HRV makes the heart a wonderful barometer of how hard your body is trying to preserve its equilibrium.

HRV has been used in hospitals for many years, mostly to help very sick patients whose beats are very regular, with little HRV, and has also been used in high-end systems to help elite athletes. The widespread availability of heart rate monitor chest straps and the computing power packed into an iPhone mean that competitive & recreational athletes can now benefit from the big improvements in training effectiveness that HRV monitoring brings.

Q: WHO USES HRV?
In the past, only doctors and professional athletes had the luxury of ung HRV to determine health and training protocols. However, the SORCE app is an easy to use product that allows the benefits of HRV training to be gained by anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch and a desire to increase their health and performance.
Q: HOW DOES USING SORCE HELP ME INCREASE PERFORMANCE + PREVENT BURNOUT?
SORCE takes a data driven + human centered approach to increasing capacity to perform and preventing burnout

Data driven = objectively monitoring your level of recovery so you know if you should “spend” or “save” the energetic capital you have been given that day.Energetic stock market analogy

Human centered = taking a curious and compassionate approach to attaining your goals through the in-app coaching you are given and through the interactions in the community. This is a safe space to explore and be where you are at. Time to release the fear that you are going to fall behind if you slow down here and there. You are not a robot. You are made of organic matter that needs recovery to unlock potential. SORCE will help you time your efforts to precision to you can be more vital through every aspect of your life.

Q: HOW DOES USING SORCE HELP MY COMPANY “REGENERATE HUMAN ENERGY”?
SORCE’s mission is to regenerate human energy… by regenerate we mean the ability to reconfigure, to revive and to renew people in a holistic and data driven way. Which we know is incredibly powerful in a world where over 73% of people report experiencing burnout. We specifically help organizations regenerate human energy by getting upstream on the issue of mis-managed workplace stress. We do this by objectively measuring the nervous system of culture using HRV technology. Keeping all employees’ privacy private, our team analytics showcase what teams are prime for peak and what teams are trending towards burnout. But data alone does not solve the human energy crisis. Data alone does not create behavior change, which is ultimately what is needed to solve the problem. What does solve the problem… what does create behavior change is the secret sauce of SORCE 😉 We help organizations achieve this change by infusing our products with intuitive design, content that is emotionally and energetically perceptive, and coaching people how to understand, navigate and play in a dimension that hasn’t been visualized or validated enough… the dimension of human energy… the very fuel source that brings your organization to life.

Q: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF “BURNOUT”?
• There is a difference between stress and burnout. Stress is not an inherently bad thing… you need it in order to get better, stronger, faster at anything you are trying to achieve. But when the stress goes unchecked for too long, you move from this sense of over-engagement (stress) to disengagement (burnout). And burnout is an umbrella term that has a series of symptoms attached to it.
• Being burned out means feeling empty and mentally exhausted, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress feels like you’re drowning in responsibilities, burnout is a sense of being all dried up.
• Good news, burnout is reversible! It is just about giving yourself the support you need.

Getting Started

Q: HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Follow the step below:

  • Download the SORCE App in the iTunes Store.
  • Plug in the SORCE App Code you received from your employer and locate your armband.
  • Follow the welcome screens on your SORCE App and get started!
Q: HOW DO I DOWNLOAD THE APP?

Go to the iTunes Store to download the SORCE App.

Q: WHERE IS MY APP CODE?

You should receive a company-wide app code from your employer. Email info@sorce.io with any questions.

Tech Support

Q: WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY TO WEAR MY ARMBAND?

On the fleshy part of your forearm between your elbow and your wrist.

Q: HOW DO I GET MY ARMBAND TO WORK WITH MY IPHONE/IPAD?

Here is a step by step guide on how to connect (also known as “pair”) your Bluetooth enabled armband with your iPhone/iPad:

  • Put on your armband.
  • Go into your Settings and make sure Bluetooth is “On”.
  • Once your iPhone finds your SORCE armband, click on it and make sure it says “Connected”.  
Q: IF MY ARMBAND STOPS WHAT DO I DO?
  • First, make sure it is charged (notice if there is a red light)
  • Make sure your armband is paired with your phone
  • Try your armband with another device if it is not working on yours
  • If none of that works, email support @sorce.io

HRV Score

Q: WHAT IS HRV? WHAT DOES THE ACTUAL HRV SCORE MEAN?
  • Heart Rate Variability
  • Window into the ANS, tells us how recovered you are from the prior days stress
  • The actual score is attached to the RR-interval in your heart beat.
  • Low HRV means your body is having a hard time finding equilibrium and you would benefit from more self care.
  • High HRV means you are resourced and ready for challenge and demand.
  • Unlike body temperature, there is not an absolute scale where everyone is 98.6… High for you, might be low for someone else. Most important thing is to pay attention to your trend and take the PUSH, MAINTAIN or RECOVER to heart.
Q: WHAT DO THE WHITE AND GREEN LINES MEAN IN THE HRV CHART?
The white line on the HRV Chart represents your daily scores, while the green line is your rolling average to help you see trends. As you collect more scores, you can cycle through time views by pressing the tabs labeled Week, Month, 3-Month, and All.
Q: HOW DO I EXPORT MY HRV SCORE DATA?
All of your data can be exported to the email address of your choice. That could be a friend, personal trainer, doctor, coach, or yourself in order to include in your log or just to keep a safe copy.

The file is in .csv (comma separated variable) format and can be imported into many spreadsheet programs such as Excel, Numbers, and OpenOffice. 

Q: CAN I TAKE MULTIPLE HRV SCORES DURING THE DAY?
You can take multiple scores during a day and save them, but only the last score you save on any one day will appear in your Chart and Log.  
Q: I FORGOT TO TAKE MY HRV SCORE IN THE MORNING, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
On the days when you forget to take your HRV Score upon waking, you can still take it when you remember. Just note that caffeine, and “life” will impact the HRV Score. Most importantly, consistency is KEY!
Q: DOES THE WAY I BREATHE AFFECT MY SCORE?
Heart rate variability and breathing are intimately connected, and that is the reason we included the paced breathing of the dial animation to provide consistency in the assessment. The chosen breathing rate is based on highly respected research into the effects of breathing rate on HRV; however, some people feel it is too fast for them, especially if they are practiced deep breathers. You can choose your own breathing rate if you prefer, but HRV is a sensitive measurement, so keep it consistent from one day to the next, and never take HRV readings when breathing irregularly.
Q: WHY IS MY HRV SCORE DIFFERENT THAN MY COLLEAGUES?
HRV is personal and you only can compare you to you! Everyone’s heart beats a little different, so what may be a high score for you may be a low score for others. In time, you will learn where your HRV baseline is and how to improve it!
Q: I GOT A PUSH DAY BUT I FEEL LOW ENERGY. WHAT DO I DO?
There will come a time when your body is ready to go but you don’t “feel” like it. To the best of your ability, try to listen to your body… because your heart knows.
Q: IS 1-MIN ENOUGH TO GET AN ACCURATE HRV SCORE?
There are many different ways to measure HRV. Some products have you wear a piece of hardware all day long and monitor you over a 24 hour period in effort to see how “ready” you are for challenge and demand. And although this is a fine way of determining “readiness” we know most people do not wear another “thing” all day long. Therefore, we have elected to use a scientifically validated “ultra-short HRV recording” that has been proven reliable and effective when you use certain controls. Those controls that we use include habituating the HRV Assessment into your morning routine, controlling for breath rate, before you ingest caffeine or stress your system in a significant way. When all of these controls are in place, a 1-min reading is enough time to get an accurate assessment?

Q: WHY DON’T I GET THE SAME SCORE WHEN I REPEAT THE ASSESSMENT?
You need to think of an HRV measurement more like a blood pressure than an HR measurement (in fact HRV and blood pressure are regulated by exactly the same parts of the nervous system). Many people have heard of ‘white coat hypertension’ – that’s when your blood pressure is higher in the doctor’s office simply because you are anxious. That same anxiety or lack of relaxation will also lower your HRV. We strongly recommend doing one reading and not repeating without leaving a 5-10min break if you really think the first measurement was wrong.

The breathing rate is also very important for consistency, as explained in the following quote from Dr. Liz Miller, a former neurosurgeon, psychologist & author: The emphasis is getting people to breathe right, which maximizes HRV because breathing profoundly affects HRV – Heart Rate Variation is largely due to the changes that occur during breathing – breathe in – Heart Rate goes up – breathe out – Heart Rate goes down. These changes are healthy, normal and partly relate to the mechanics and partly to the autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) nervous system. The greater the changes between breathing in and breathing out, the healthier and fitter your heart and lungs and autonomic system.

In other words, heart rate variability measures the amount your heart rate changes from moment to moment. Most of this difference is due to breathing patterns. Any change in mental state, even if you are an Indian meditation guru will change your pattern of breathing – the two are inextricably linked! Anxiety produces shallow fast breathing, calm produces slow deeper breathing. The slower and more consistently you breathe, the greater your HRV at any moment, up to a maximum that relates to your own personal fitness and gives you a HRV Score.

Inconsistent breathing, even slight, profoundly affects HRV. Although most people learn subliminally that to get their best reading, they need to follow the animation on the screen, and breathe in a slow and measured fashion, it is possible to mess with your HRV by fractionally altering your breathing. This will happen if you are anxious, tired or otherwise stressed.

From a user point of view – taking your HRV Score needs to be a peaceful ritual. You sit and relax for a couple of minutes, watch the graphic on the screen and then when you are feeling calm, join in breathing with it and then when you are happy your breathing is nicely synchronized, switch on the device and take your HRV Score.

Q: WHY DO I NEED TO TAKE MY HRV IN THE MORNING BEFORE CAFFEINE?
HRV is a sensitive sally and although it is not your Heart Rate, it is connected to your Heart Rate. So when you stimulate your Heart Rate through the use of caffeine you can’t get a clean HRV reading. The way to get a clean reliable HRV reading is to take it shortly upon waking, after you use the restroom before ingesting caffeine or stressing your system in any way (that includes looking at email or working out).
Q: HRV + ALCOHOL
HRV is looking at the load your nervous system is carrying. One thing we know puts a significant load on your system is alcohol. For as fun as it is… alcohol is a toxin and puts a fair amount of stress on your liver to detoxify it out of your body. So when your resources are low and you have a recover day, it is in your best interest to refrain from drinking and save your body from the load. But on your push days, your system is more resourced to combat the negative effects of alcohol. So if you are going to drink, your push days are the better days to do so.

Q: HRV + SLEEP
HRV goes up when the arms of your sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of your nervous system are balanced. Your sympathetic is in charge of your fight/flight response and your parasympathetic is in charge of your rest and digest response. When you are not getting good sleep, the parasympathetic arm of your nervous system loses it strength. And when this happens your HRV Scores go down along with your capacity to meet the challenges of the day with ease. Therefore, if you want to clear path to raise your HRV, start prioritizing how you wind down your day, create a bedtime routine and allow yourself to get some good deep rest.

Q: WHY IS MY SCORE DIFFERENT FROM MY COLLEAGUES?
Your scores should be different from your colleagues! It would be shocking if any two people had the same scores for any stretch of time. Why? Because everyone is so unique. Everybody’s ticker ticks different. Everyone has unique stressors in their lives. Everyone responds different to different remedies. Instead of trying to be like anyone else, allow this time with SORCE to truly be about discovering what actions, environments, mindsets create positive effects in your life.
Q: WHAT DO I DO IF I GET A PUSH DAY AND I DON’T FEEL LIKE PUSHING/A RECOVER DAY AND I FEEL HIGH ENERGY?
  • The day will come when SORCE tells you to PUSH/RECOVER and you don’t feel like it.
  • 80% of the time you can guess your score
  • 20% of the time you can’t… this is where you gain an edge
  • Follow SORCE as much as you can
  • If you go rogue, cool… just be aware of the result that choice created.

Q. WHAT DO THE WHITE AND GREEN LINES IN MY CHART MEAN?
  • White line = daily reading
  • Green line = rolling average
  • When you are way above your baseline = push
  • When you are at baseline = maintain
  • When you are way below baseline = recover
Q: IF I MISS MY USUAL TIME TO TAKE MY HRV, SHOULD I JUST DO IT LATER?
If you are brand new to SORCE, then YES you should take it when you remember. It is VERY important to build the habit. But once you have created the habit and taking your HRV is a part of your routine, it is best to take it the same way everyday and if you miss, simply do a self assessment and assign yourself a push, maintain, recover day.
Q: DOES ANYONE IN MY COMPANY SEE MY DAILY SCORES?
It is very important that all SORCE users know that your private information is never seen by anyone at your company. We take privacy super seriously and make it clear to all employers that we will never disclose or expose individuals in any way, shape or form. The only way others at your organization will see your personal data is if you share it in the team’s social channels. Leadership only sees team data in aggregate, keeping everyone’s privacy private so they can do a better job at helping their team stay out of any burnout cycles.

Q: IS IT OKAY IF I HAVE A FEW RECOVER DAYS IN A ROW?
Indeed it is ok. Indeed you are ok. The most important thing is to take actions that support your recovery.

Q : HOW DOES SORCE’S HRV SCORE COMPARE TO THE OTER HRV AND READINESS SCORES I GET FROM OURA, WHOOP, GARMAN OR APPLE WATCH?
  • SORCE’s score will be different from all the other players in the market
  • All of us are calculating readiness in different ways
  • Our algo is super simple and is only looking at HRV where others are looking at multiple bio-markers to determine readiness.
  • Our biggest encouragement is to see what platform works the best for you.
  • Over time it is our intent to integrate with some other key players