A Beginner’s Guide to Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
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What do you think is healthier when it comes to your heart rate? A steady beat like a drum or a variable heart rate that speeds up a little when you inhale and slows down a little when you exhale?
A healthy heart actually has a high heart rate variability (HRV), meaning that on a beat-to-beat measured level, there’s quite a bit of difference. HRV has long been used as a metric in sport medicine, cardiology, and in anesthesiology, but thanks to the boom in wearable health tech, tens of millions of people are now waking up every morning to HRV readings on their phones and smartwatches and wondering what they mean.
What is HRV?
Heart rate variability is a unique health measurement of your cardiovascular health and nervous system readiness and recovery. The “variance” refers to the variation in time intervals between heartbeats and it’s measured in milliseconds. A healthy heart varies beat-to-beat, influenced by your breathing and nervous system. A higher HRV suggests a balanced and responsive autonomic nervous system and is often a sign of rest, recovery, good hydration, and sleep. A lower HRV suggests your body is under stress, hasn’t recovered properly, or is perhaps undernourished or dehydrated.
How To Measure HRV
HRV is tricky to measure as many things can throw off your readings. For best results, measure your HRV at the same time each day, ideally when you wake up. If possible, measure your HRV before you get out of bed, and for sure before consuming any food or coffee. Maintain natural breathing patterns while measuring, and lastly, try to assume the same relaxed body position for testing.
Think of HRV as an awareness tool – like calories. It’s a health marker to be aware of, but don’t obsess over it. I’d recommend testing your HRV every morning for 30 days. See what you learn, and then decide from there if you want or need to continue testing, or if like me, it just becomes an awareness that informs your life.
Tech Options
Whichever device and method you choose to measure your HRV, remember to only compare the readings from your device – not readings from other devices, and don’t compare your results to anyone else’s. These are unpaid recommendations, YOGABODY has no affiliation with any product or brand.
Chest Strap
If you want to measure your HRV first thing in the morning, for the most reliable measurements measure your ECG/EKG via a chest strap. This directly measures the electrical activity of your heart and usually pairs with an app on your phone. Try the Polar H9 or H10 and pair with either Elite HRV or HRV4Training apps.
Smartwatch
Useful if you want to measure your HRV throughout the night. They are not as reliable as ECG, but often good enough during sleep. The Oura Ring is a reliable option, but quite expensive, an Apple Watch would be a reliable but more affordable alternative, with Fitbit at the cheaper end of the scale for basic monitoring.
Smartphone
This method has shown to be relatively accurate. It works similarly to a smartwatch, but instead of green light and sensor, it uses your flashlight and camera. Performance will vary between phones, but it can be a good way to get started with HRV monitoring. Check out the Welltory and HRV4Training apps if you’re interested in trying this method of monitoring.
For more detailed testing of different wearable devices, check out The Quantified Scientist’s reviews at www.robterhorst.com
5 Ways To Improve Your HRV
Here are five things to keep in mind if you want to improve your heart rate variability:
- Focus on sleep quantity and quality
- Don’t overtrain and ensure ample recovery from exercise
- Manage your stress with nature walks, breathing exercises or meditation
- Follow a healthy diet
- Make sure you’re properly hydrated
Guided Breathing Practice
Practice this breathing exercise before bed to help improve your nighttime and waking HRV readings.
- Lie flat in your bed and close your eyes
- Place your right hand on your heart, your left hand on your abdomen
- Inhale through your nose, allowing your belly to rise for 1-2-3-4
- Exhale, allowing your belly to fall to the count of 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
- Eyes remain closed, body relaxed throughout, repeat for 10 rounds total
Safety Disclaimer
If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma, or a pulmonary condition, please check with your doctor before starting any breathing practices.
