Is a mask bad for my HEART?

We are living in a different world. Only a few months ago life was normal, now the world is in chaos, and there is a push for a new normal. This “new normal” includes a strong push for everyone to wear face coverings or masks to prevent contracting or spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. I am not a medical professional, and am not giving medical advice in this post. I am a former medical researcher, and and just providing this post for entertainment purposes. Contact your doctor if you have any concerns with your health or wearing a mask.

On that note, it is my opinion that masks provide little benefit but cause significant harm. They restrict your breathing and become moist which, in my opinion, can encourage bacterial and viral growth, right where you will be breathing it into your lungs. Today I want to talk about cardiovascular function. If I can get more testing done on myself, I will post it as I go.

I go to a wonderful doctor that helps me keep my health in tip top shape. I powerlift, and exercise and healthy eating are a regular part of my life. Every year, my doctor does a test called “Autonomic Balance & Accelerated Photoplethysmograph”. Here is a paper on this technology. This test measures cardiovascular function, and is a widely accepted screening tool for early heart disease. It also measures physical and mental stress levels.

I have worked hard for 3 years using exercise, diet and supplementation to improve my cardiovascular function. I decided to ask my doctor if he would do a little experiment on me. I wanted to see if wearing a mask affected the cardiovascular function numbers on this test. He said he has indeed been seeing his patient’s numbers being adversely affected by mask wearing.

So today I went in and first did the test with no mask. It takes about 3 minutes. It is done using a special device that is placed on your finger. I then put on my mask and wore it for about 20 minutes, and then performed the test with the mask on. I didn’t think there would be much of a difference, but boy was I wrong.

For cardiovascular health, 4 numbers are measured, I will list them below.

DPI (Differential Pulse Wave Index), which represents overall health of the cardiovascular system.

EC (Eccentric Constriction), which represents contraction power of vessels from the left ventricle.

AE (Arterial Elasticity), which analyzes blood circulation, vascular elasticity and resistance of the vessels.

RBV (Remaining Blood Volume), which is the remaining blood volume in the vessels after systolic contraction of the heart.

For all of these numbers, Below 30 is sub-optimal and indicates poor heart health. 30-70 is normal range, and above 70 is optimal heart health.

Here are my numbers. I will post pictures of the reports.

WITHOUT MASK:

WITH MASK:

DPI dropped by 6.81 points, EC dropped by 1.76 points, AE dropped  by 15.13 points, RBV dropped by 6.67 points. The number drop was close to where I was 3 years ago. It took me 3 years of diet, exercise and health to get my numbers to where they were before the mask test, and only 20 minutes to drastically affect my cardiovascular function. Imagine those people who are required to wear a mask all day.

Another interesting find was the change in my stress level. In this test, the lower the number the better. My physical stress level slightly increased by 2 points, and my mental stress level drastically increased by 10 points.

Stress level is measured using two measurements. HRV (heart rate variability),  and Power Spectral Density, which is used to measure stress by measuring autonomic nervous system activity . HRV was smooth and more regular before the mask and got more erratic with the mask. The Power Spectral Density was normal before the test. LF (low frequency) and HF (high frequency) levels both increased during the mask test. Here is a study on this procedure.  Here is a paper of stress detection with this technology.

In conclusion, my cardiovascular function deteriorated with the mask, and my autonomic system was affected by increased mental and physical stress. I am a very fit individual. People who are not fit may have more drastic deterioration. In my opinion, several hours a day of using a mask has the potential to cause significant harm and should be studied.