HRV refers to Heart Rate Variability, and it describes a physiological mechanism within the human body where there is variation in the time between heartbeats.
The time between heartbeats isn’t always equal, and this is completely normal and natural. However, significant variations in heartbeat intervals or abnormal changes in these intervals over time can indicate an underlying issue.
The variations between heartbeats can be influenced by a number of physiological, pathological, and psychological factors. In other words, your physical health and mental well-being influence your HRV significantly. More specifically, your HRV is affected by your age, sex, body temperature, weight, lifestyle, and environment.
More and more health experts are preaching about the importance of HRV as a biomarker of overall health. Changes in HRV are associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and mortality.
Let’s take a deeper look into HRV, covering how it’s measured and why it’s important.
How is Heart Rate Variability Measured?
Heart Rate Variability can be measured in a few different ways using various pieces of equipment. In a medical setting, such as in a hospital, healthcare professionals may use an electrocardiogram (ECG) machine to measure HRV.
An ECG uses specialised sensors that are attached to the chest and measure the electrical activity of the heart. Healthcare professionals may perform an ECG for just a few minutes or several hours depending on how much data they need to gather about the heart’s electrical activity.
Outside of a hospital, you can use portable devices to measure HRV. A lot of athletes and sportspeople use these devices during training sessions or games to gain more information about their overall health.
A pulse oximeter attaches to the finger and measures blood oxygen level and pulse. There are also wearables like fitness watches that can measure HRV, although they are less accurate than other options. The world of tech exploration surrounding HRV is fascinating, and the technologies used to measure this biomarker will only become more and more advanced.
Why is Heart Rate Variability Important?
HRV is a good indicator of stress within the body. Heart rate and the time intervals between heart beats are influenced by two branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) – the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is activated during times of stress in response to the release of cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. This occurs in the ‘fight or flight’ response and causes an increase in your heart rate.
Conversely, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is a branch of the autonomic nervous system that opposes the SNS and lowers the heart rate. It’s active when you’re feeling relaxed and aren’t stressed.
A higher HRV suggests that there is a nice balance between the SNS and PNS and that the body is able to cope well with stress and adjust to different situations efficiently. It suggests a high level of resiliency within the body and, more specifically, within the cardiovascular system.
Many devices, such as the Garmin device, can be used to determine HRV and measure stress. Finding more info on Garmin will enable you to discover more about this particular device, how it works, and how it can benefit you. Using this type of device enables you to learn about how well your body copes with stress and whether it’s something you need to address further.
A low HRV can indicate that the body isn’t as resilient to coping with stress as it could be. It suggests that there is an imbalance between the responses of the SNS and PNS, and that the body s less able to regulate the activation of each branch of the autonomic nervous system effectively.
Lower HRV measurements have been associated with a variety of chronic health conditions, including hypertension, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Although we are referring to high and low HRV scores, there is a lack of consensus about what is classed as good or bad. In general, heart rate variability decreases with age, and it is very specific to each person.
One person’s normal level of variability may be abnormal for somebody else. This is why it is best to take several measurements of your own HRV to compare them to each other, instead of another person’s measurements.