INFINITY News: Your heart is telling you all about heart rate variability (HRV). A specialist explains everything about heart rate variability (HRV). Packed with information useful for health management. #HeartRateVariability #HRV #HealthIndicator
Video explanation
What is "HRV" that you've been hearing about lately? It may be a secret sign that tells you how your body is doing!
Hello, I'm John, here to explain health and wellness in simple terms! Have you seen the term "HRV" on a smartwatch or something recently? If you're thinking "That sounds complicated...", don't worry! Today, let's take a look at what HRV is and what it means for our health!
What is HRV anyway? Is it different from heart rate?
First of all, "HRV" is an abbreviation for "Heart Rate Variability".Heart rate variability" Simply put, it is the "time fluctuation" between heartbeats (heartbeats).
You may be thinking, "Hey, I know my heart rate! It's the speed at which your heart beats, right?" It's true that your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in one minute. But HRV looks at the "variability" in the "intervals" between each beat, which can be slightly longer or shorter.
For example, even if your resting heart rate is 1 beats per minute, it doesn't beat at exactly one second intervals each time. It actually varies slightly, such as 60 seconds or 1 seconds. The greater this "range of variation," the higher your HRV (the better your condition) is generally said to be.
You may be wondering, "What, is it a good thing if the intervals between heartbeats are not regular?" In fact, this "fluctuation" is a very important sign that tells us how our bodies are doing.
The deep relationship between HRV and the autonomic nervous system
The reason why HRV is important is that it regulates our body'sAutonomic nervous system" This is because it is deeply related to the balance of
Have you ever heard of the autonomic nervous system? It is like a super manager of the body that automatically controls functions necessary for life such as breathing, body temperature, and digestion without us even realizing it. There are mainly two types of autonomic nervous system.
- Sympathetic nerves: It acts like an "accelerator" that activates the body. It becomes active when you feel stressed or when you exercise. You could also call it the "fight or flight mode" nerve.
- Parasympathetic nervous system: These act like a "brake" to relax and restore the body. They become active when you are sleeping or resting. These are the nerves in "sleep mode."
In a healthy state, the accelerator and brake switch smoothly according to the situation, maintaining a good balance. And a high HRV (fluctuations in the intervals between heartbeats) is proof that the autonomic nervous system is working flexibly and responding well to changes in the body. It's like an excellent orchestra conductor freely changing the tempo to match the atmosphere of the song!
Conversely, if your HRV is low, your autonomic nervous system may be out of balance, or one of your nervous systems (especially your sympathetic nervous system) may be overactive. This may be a sign that your body is not dealing with stress or fatigue well.
What does HRV tell you? Listen to your body!
Checking your HRV can help you find out:
- stress levelWhen mental and physical stress is high, the sympathetic nervous system tends to dominate and HRV tends to decrease.
- Recovery rate: Are you getting quality sleep and rest, are your body properly recovering from the fatigue of training, etc. When your body is recovering, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated and your HRV is more likely to rise.
- overall health:HRV is said to be related not only to cardiovascular health, but also to immune function and mental well-being.
- Signs of overtrainingFor athletes, it can also be a good indicator of whether their training load is adequate. If HRV remains consistently low, it may be necessary to adjust the intensity of training.
- Points to consider when reviewing your lifestyle: Lack of sleep, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, etc. can affect HRV, so this is an opportunity to review your lifestyle habits.
In other words, HRV can serve as a "ruler" to help you listen to what your body is telling you, such as "Is my body properly balanced right now?" or "Am I pushing myself too hard?"
What affects HRV?
HRV fluctuates from day to day due to a variety of factors. Here are some of the main ones:
- Sleep: Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep is a major factor in lowering HRV, especially deep sleep.
- motion: Moderate exercise will increase HRV in the long term, but immediately after intense exercise or overtraining can temporarily decrease HRV.
- Food and fluids: A poorly balanced diet, especially one that is high in sugar and processed foods, can negatively impact HRV. Dehydration also stresses the body, lowering HRV.
- Mental stressMental stress, such as work pressure, relationship problems, and anxiety, stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and decreases HRV.
- ageIn general, HRV naturally tends to decline with age. This is because autonomic nervous system function changes gradually with age.
- Lifestyle habit: Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and irregular lifestyles also have a negative effect on HRV.
- Illness or physical conditionIf you have a cold, any inflammation in your body, or a chronic illness, your HRV can drop, which is a sign that your body is fighting the illness.
- Heredity: It is said that genetic factors also play a role in baseline HRV.
As you can see, HRV is very delicate. It can change even with small daily changes, so it's important to keep an eye on it in relation to your lifestyle.
So how do you measure HRV?
You might be thinking, "If it can tell me so much, I want to try measuring it!" Recently, there has been an increase in devices that can easily measure HRV.
- Smartwatches and activity monitorsMany wearable devices, such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, and Oura rings, have the ability to measure HRV. Many of them automatically measure your HRV while you sleep or rest.
- Dedicated HRV measuring deviceThere are also chest strap heart rate monitors (such as some models from Polar and Garmin) and small finger-sized devices that are said to provide a more accurate reading.
- Smartphone app: There are some that use a smartphone's camera and flash to measure changes in blood flow in the fingertips, and others that work in conjunction with a dedicated sensor.
The important thing is to measure your blood pressure under the same conditions every day (for example, immediately after waking up in the morning and after resting for a few minutes) so that you can compare daily changes more accurately.
How to maintain good HRV? Things you can do today
HRV varies greatly from person to person, so there is no universal ideal value that says, "This value is absolutely fine!" What's important is to know your own baseline (your usual average value) and notice daily changes. On top of that, to keep your HRV in good condition, try to be aware of the following:
- Get plenty of quality sleep: Improve your sleep environment by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and blue light before bed.
- Make moderate exercise a habit: It is recommended that you regularly do aerobic exercise that you enjoy, such as walking, jogging, yoga, swimming, etc. However, be careful not to overdo it.
- Make sure you eat a balanced diet: Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, quality protein, and healthy fats, and limit processed and sugary foods.
- Dealing with Stress: Find your own way to relax, whether it's meditation, deep breathing (especially slow breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system), yoga, mindfulness, or making time for a hobby.
- Stay hydrated: Dehydration stresses the body and lowers HRV, so be sure to drink plenty of water.
- Lead a regular life: Regulating your body clock leads to stabilization of your autonomic nervous system.
- Exposure to sunlight: Morning light in particular resets your body clock and helps stabilize your mood.
- Quit smoking and limit alcoholThese can seriously disrupt the balance of your autonomic nervous system.
Rather than doing anything special, carefully practicing basic healthy habits will help regulate HRV, which in turn will improve the balance of your autonomic nervous system.
Important points to know
HRV is a very useful indicator of your health, but there are a few things you should know.
- There are large individual differencesAs mentioned earlier, the "normal" HRV value varies from person to person depending on age, sex, constitution, genetics, and lifestyle. Rather than comparing your values with others, it is important to compare them with your own past data and see the trends in changes.
- There are daily fluctuations: HRV can change depending on very small things, such as your physical condition, mood, previous day's activity, meals, sleep, etc. It is important not to get too excited or upset, but to look at the long-term trends over several days to several weeks.
- HRV isn’t everything：HRV is only one indicator of your health. Even if your HRV is good, you may still feel other physical discomforts (such as fatigue, pain, fever, etc.), and vice versa. Make a comprehensive judgment based on your overall physical condition and, if necessary, a doctor's diagnosis.
- The timing and method of measurement also vary.: If possible, measure under the same conditions (for example, after waking up each morning, using the toilet, and then sitting and resting for a few minutes) to make day-to-day comparisons easier.
HRV is a useful tool for communicating with your body, so make sure to use it effectively!
A word from John
At first, HRV may seem a bit technical and difficult to understand. But isn't it exciting to think that it could give you a hint to hear the "silent voice" of your body? I check my HRV on my smartwatch from time to time, and if I'm sleep-deprived or a little too busy, the numbers honestly show up, so it makes me think, "Oh, my body is giving me signs after all," and it gives me an opportunity to reconsider my lifestyle. If your device has an HRV measurement function, please check it out and use it to help manage your daily health.
This article is based on the following original articles and is summarized from the author's perspective:
What Does Your HRV Actually Tell You? The 101 On The Popular Health Metric