In recent decades, we’ve seen the rise of digital wearables and fitness trackers to help us understand more about our sleep, workouts, and nutrition. Heart rate variability is another metric worth understanding more about because it’s an indicator of your health. Lately, more fitness gurus are discussing heart rate variability (HRV) and what it can tell you about your fitness.
What is HRV?
The time between your heartbeats should vary rather than being exactly the same. These slight fluctuations are the sign of an adaptive, healthy autonomic nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system is a network of nerves that helps control your heart rate, digestion, breathing, and other involuntary functions. This system works automatically and unconsciously (autonomic).
Heart rate variability measures the micro-variations in the time intervals between your consecutive heartbeats.
How do you measure HRV?
You can measure your HRV with wearable chest strap monitors that detect the electrical signals of your heart. The most accurate way to measure and the current gold standard is an electrocardiogram (ECG), which is available at most doctors’ practices. You can also purchase ECG monitors to take your own measurements at home.
Another option is wearable fitness trackers like smart watches that are equipped with heart rate monitoring, but the accuracy can vary. Smartphone apps that use the phone camera or microphone to detect heart rate are less accurate than other methods of measuring HRV.
What can your heart rate variability tell you about your fitness?
Researchers have found that HRV is a useful metric to assess athletic performance, and a higher HRV has been associated with enhanced aerobic capacity and smoother exercise recovery. A higher HRV has also been associated with stronger mental well-being, which could help you keep pushing through in the gym when your mind starts to waver. This isn’t just the case for athletes. A higher HRV indicates your body is more resilient to stress, whereas a lower HRV could be an indication of worse recovery, certain health issues, and chronic stress.
Impaired blood flow
The research also indicates that a lower HRV is linked with poor blood flow and increased inflammation. Increased inflammation can make you more tired and sore, and coupled with the impaired blood flow, it could hold you back in the gym and get in the way of your fitness goals.
Improving your HRV with sleep
Your HRV changes over time, and small lifestyle shifts, like focusing on your nutrition and stress levels, can make a difference. To improve your HRV, you can try working on your sleep quality and getting more sleep. Researchers have found that HRV drops if you don’t get sufficient sleep, and it increases with rest. Better sleep usually means better athletic performance and recovery.
