How to tell CFS from Depression

[presta]

By analysing heart rate variability, apparently.

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/11/5330

 

[BrumJim]

Interesting. Not sure I understand any of it, but my wife will.

 

[Jameshow]

Basically those with depression have lower HR, (feeling carp and not able to get going), than those with CF as with CF you feel like your trying achieve something but running out of energy.

 

[presta]

Interesting. Not sure I understand any of it, but my wife will.

I didn't read it beyond the abstract, but it looks good news for CFS patients who get fobbed off with the 'all in the mind' stuff.

Heart rate varies, not just beating faster when you exercise, but even when effort is unchanging, HR fluctuates up & down from beat to beat. There's a lot of information to be had from analysing this, my Polar HRM uses HR variability to estimate VO2 max, for example, because high VO2max correlates strongly with high HR variability.