The Science Behind HAVN
HAVN’s special fabric-technology blocks external stressors from impacting your body. By doing so, it reduces the associated effects of oxidative stress, increases HRV, and supports your immune system. It’s the ultimate health-enhancing apparel.
Wearing HAVN Reduces Oxidative Stress Caused by External Stressors
Oxidative Stress 101
Free radicals vs antioxidants
Oxidative stress is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and antioxidants. Free radicals are oxygen-containing molecules that are missing an electron.
Atoms that are missing an electron are unstable. As such, free radicals are highly reactive and seek other atoms or molecules to steal an electron from to gain stability. By doing so, they create another free radical missing an electron. This process is called oxidation. Oxidation our bodies is normal and is kept in balanced by antioxidants.
Antioxidants are molecules that can donate an electron without becoming free radicals themselves. By doing so, they are able to stabilize free radicals without becoming reactive themselves.
What is oxidative stress?
Oxidative stress occurs when the number of free radicals outweigh the body’s ability to detoxify with antioxidants. The free radicals can damage the components of our cells, including DNA, proteins and lipids, and can cause disruption in our normal mechanisms of cellular signaling. Oxidative stress causes damage to our body’s cells and causes a wide range of diseases as well as causes symptoms of aging such as wrinkles.
As a summary, oxidative stress occurs when there are more free radicals in the body than our antioxidants can counteract, and it is a damaging state for our tissues that can lead to a number of short term and long-term symptoms and diseases.
Oxidative stress factors
Oxidation is a process that naturally happens in our body as part of our immune system, and free radicals are naturally produced by inflammation or exercise.
However, oxidative stress can happen when having an increased exposure to free radicals from the environment. Sources that can increase free radicals include:
How HAVN Mitigates Oxidative Stress
What is wireless radiation?
Wireless radiation, or EMF, is a continuous field produced by electrically charged objects such as your cellphones and Wi-Fi. EMF travels in a wave-like pattern at the speed of light and this propagation is called electromagnetic radiation.
Some electromagnetic fields are produced naturally, like the low intensity EMF emitted by our body. However, tech-made EMF — those transmitted by cellphones and Wi-Fi — are unnatural and cause your body to react. They can cause short-term and long-term health risks.
- By measuring its electromagnetic shielding according to the IEEE-299 standard.
- In a Human Model according to the EN 62209-2 standard. This is done using a ELI4 phantom filled with liquids simulating tissue (a physical and chemical replica of a human body) and measuring the Specific Absorption Rate with and without wearing WaveStopper™. This is particularly important as it represents real life conditions.
Our tests have been done in top internationally renowned independent laboratories and confirmed that WaveStopper™ blocks over 99% of wireless radiation from traditional consumer devices (cellphone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth).
| Frequency | Radiation blocked |
|---|---|
| 700 MHz | 99.99 % |
| 2.4 GHz | 99.98 % |
| 5 GHz | 99.95 % |
| 26 GHz | 99.92 % |
| 40 GHz | 99.86 % |
What is ultraviolet radiation?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of non-ionizing radiation that is emitted by the sun. Just like EMFs, UV radiation causes oxidative damage of the cells. This is due to the release of inflammatory cytokines which in turn generates free radicals, or reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damages lipids, proteins and DNA. Ultraviolet Light Induced Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species
UV rays damage collagen fibers, resulting in photoaging, wrinkles, leathery skin, and skin cancer.
WaveStopper™ Technology by HAVN underwent a UV protective properties test according to the AATCC 183-2020 testing method, and is rated UPF value of >50. This means that WaveStopper™ blocks over 98% of UV rays from penetrating your skin.
UV radiation from the sun has been documented to damage DNA as well as create an increase in free radicals and oxidative stress.
Regular garments do not block all of the sun’s harmful UVs. The standard rating for the sun protection of a garment is UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor), which represents the ratio of sunburn-causing UV measured without and with the protection of the fabric.
The average UPF of a linen or cotton t-shirt is about 5, which means that it allows about ⅕ (or 20%) of UV to penetrate your skin.
| Test Item | Results (Dry) | Results (Wet) |
|---|---|---|
| T(UVA)AV ( % ) | 0.86 | 0.40 |
| T(UVB)AV ( % ) | 0.56 | 0.28 |
| Block (UVA)AV (%) | 99.14 | 99.60 |
| Block (UVB)AV (%) | 99.44 | 99.72 |
| UPFAV (%) | 163.16 | 328.76 |
| UPF Value | >50 | >50 |
Positive effects of mitigating wireless and UV radiation
By blocking wireless + ultraviolet radiation and mitigating the associated oxidative stress, wearing HAVN can:
Documented Positive Effects of Wearing HAVN
Increased HRV - Indicating Bodily Stress Improvement
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measure of our Autonomous Nervous System (ANS) that is widely accepted as one of the best, non-invasive measures of our body’s recovery and ability to perform. A high HRV is a good sign that the body is performing at a higher level.
What is the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a system that regulates our involuntary body’s functions including heart rate, digestion, respiration, blood pressure, sexual arousal, and pupillary response.
The ANS is comprised of three branches; the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system [79]
Because in most cases, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system have opposite effects on our body’s functions, they are considered to be in a balance with one system sometimes dominating over the other.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The Sympathetic branch, when activated, promotes a “Fight or Flight” response. The body tenses up, speeds up and becomes more alert. It shuts off any function that is not necessary for survival until we escape the threat (whether it’s a wolf chasing us or a stressful meeting). Amongst the specific reactions [80, 81] are:
- Diverting blood-flow away from the Gastro Intestinal track and skin
- Muscle contraction
- Increase in heart rate and contraction.
- Blood flow and oxygen exchange increase in the lungs
- Contraction of urinary and intestinal sphincters
- Pupil dilatation
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The Parasympathetic branch has the opposite effect and counterbalances the Sympathetic branch. It promotes a “Rest and Digest” response and calms the body to return to normal function and a state of calm and recovery. The specific reactions are:
- Increase in the blood flow to the Gastro Intestinal track
- Lower heart rate
- Constriction of pupils for better vision accommodation
- Constriction of bronchial tubes in the lungs when the need for oxygen is lower
- Relaxation of muscles and sphincters
- Stimulation of sexual arousal
What is heart rate variability (HRV)
HRV is a measure of the variability between the beats of our heart rate. If our heart rate is 60 beats per minute, it’s actually not beating once every second. There may be times when there are 1.2 seconds between beats and others where beats are separated by 0.95 seconds. HRV measures the average variability between each beat and is measured in milliseconds.
Having a higher HRV is a great sign that your body is ready to perform at a high level and can adapt better. When your Autonomic Nervous System is balanced, your body is responsive to both Sympathetic Nervous Response (causing your heart rate to increase) and Parasympathetic Nervous Response (causing your heart rate to decrease). The balance between the two is what causes this fluctuation in your heart rate and increases your Heart Rate Variability.
Lower HRV
If you have a lower HRV in a resting state, this indicates that your body is stressed and not physically recovering[81]. A low HRV can potentially cause:
Higher HRV
A higher HRV means that your body is recovering well and under less stress [80]. A high HRV makes it more likely to experience:
- Increase in the blood flow to the Gastro Intestinal track
- Lower heart rate
- Constriction of pupils for better vision accommodation
- Constriction of bronchial tubes in the lungs when the need for oxygen is lower
- Relaxation of muscles and sphincters
- Stimulation of sexual arousal
Pre-studies show that wearing HAVN increases HRV by 18%
Heart Rate Variability
An independent pilot study measured that wearing HAVN leads to demonstrable improvement in Heart Rate Variability of 100% of test persons. HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is the most reliable, non-invasive biometric of stress and recovery, measuring the balance of our autonomous nervous system.
The study was made on male and female volunteers, aged between 25 and 59, and showed an increased in HRV of up to 20% within 15 minutes of wearing HAVN.
Resting Heart Rate
The same study demonstrated a decrease of up to 19% in Resting Heart Rate. A lower Resting Heart Rate means that your heart pumps more blood into your vessels with every beat. A lower Resting Heart Rate is generally associated with lower stress.
Why it matters
A higher HRV shows an enhancement of parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) function. The PSNS regulates our bodily functions [101], such as the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, and sexual arousal systems[102]. It also plays a critical role the inflammatory processes and immune responses[103].
A higher HRV contributes to better:
- Chances of avoiding illnesses
- Performance (athletic and cognitive)
- Sleep and Recovery
- Blood pressure
- Focus and Calmness
User Reported Benefits of Wearing HAVN
Positive Effects on Sleep, Fertility, and Cognition
The positive effects of wearing HAVN observed by users throughout several years. Expectations were met based on the impact of wireless radiation and oxidative stress. The casuistic approach evaluates all the cases separately, no statistical evaluation was made.
Sleep & Recovery
Better sleep length and quality was reported by users wearing HAVN at night (60% of users). These findings were corroborated by measurements on sleep tracking devices such as Oura Ring or Whoop.
Fertility Boost
Improved fertility and ability to procreate was reported by males and couples having trouble procreating prior to wearing HAVN and becoming pregnant shortly after, or couples who struggled for years to get pregnant their first times without HAVN, and much more easily after (15 cases). Sperm count measurement before and after starting to wear HAVN daily corroborate these findings.
Improved Cognition
Improvement in focus, attention, and memory (50% of users) and lessening in brain fogs (70% of users) and headaches were reported by users after starting to wear HAVN on a daily basis.
Reduced Stress
Overall lower stress and improved recovery was reported by 44% of users, which is consistent with the lower Resting Heart Rate measured in the independent pilot study when wearing HAVN.
