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Meltdown Physiological Signature

Primary Signals

Heart Rate (HR)

  • Sustained 130-180 bpm at peak
  • Gradual onset (5-15 bpm/min slope)
  • 10-min rolling mean crossing 105-129 bpm threshold (Romanowicz 2025)
  • Recovery latency >20 min is hallmark classifier

Heart Rate Variability (HRV / RMSSD)

  • RMSSD near-zero (<15 ms) during escalation
  • <10 ms at peak meltdown
  • RMSSD recovery >20 min distinguishes meltdown from tantrum (<2 min recovery)

Electrodermal Activity (EDA)

  • Elevated skin conductance level (tonic)
  • Frequent skin conductance responses (phasic)
  • Chaotic high-jerk pattern

Accelerometry

  • Chaotic high-jerk motion during meltdown
  • Contrasts with organized, goal-directed motion in tantrum

Temperature

  • Drop of 0.5-2.0°C (available from WHOOP V18 offload)
  • Confirms sympathetic activation

Detection Features

Window Features Use Case
5s Instantaneous HR, HRV, jerk Real-time detection
30s Rolling mean, slope, variance Rumble detection
300s Recovery latency, trend State classification

Key Thresholds (from Romanowicz 2025)

  • HR: 10-min rolling mean > 105-129 bpm
  • HRV: RMSSD < 15 ms
  • Recovery: >20 min to return to baseline

Linked To