You’ve all probably heard about HRV, but at this point it’s hard to understand. So, I genuinely hope that this will make things easier for all of us. Buckle up, because there’s a lot to cover. 

Heart rate variability, or HRV, is the measure of the variation in time between heartbeats, measured in milliseconds. For example, sometimes your heart might beat every 1.2 seconds; other times, it might beat at 0.8 seconds. You need a device to measure that variance in timing (more on that below). Ideally, you’d monitor your HRV for two to five minutes to see what your average is. 

In Rolla, heartbeats are measured in milliseconds.

A longer HRV, with more time between heartbeats, is in general more desirable than a shorter HRV because it shows your body can recover faster from stress and that the heart can resume its normal rate after having been sped up due to exercise, stress, illness or something else. It’s an indicator of how your body handles stress, which includes your training efforts. 

Factors Impacting Heart Rate Variability

HRV is impacted by a few things, including:

🩷 Gender: We know gender influences HRV, but reports are controversial. Men tend to show higher HRV numbers than women, but some studies have shown the opposite to be true.

🩷 Age: Your HRV decreases as you age. A 25-year-old male’s normal heart rate variability might be 50 to 100 milliseconds. As that person nears middle age, the number could drop to a range of 35 milliseconds to 60 milliseconds.

🩷 Hormones: A woman who is tracking her HRV might notice changes at various times throughout the month when she’s menstruating.

🩷 Stress: When you experience stress, the heart has to pump faster. That means there’s less time in between beats, resulting in a shorter HRV.

🩷 Sleep: Your body’s 24-hour clock plays a role in HRV. You’ll find the average number changes throughout the day, as well as if you are tired.

🩷 Core body temperature: If your body temperature changes when you aren’t feeling well, this can impact your HRV.

🩷 Metabolism: Someone who has a metabolic disorder will likely have a lower HRV. Alternatively, the healthier and fitter you are, the likelier you’ll have a higher HRV.

To improve your HRV, practice managing stress with breathing techniques. Your sympathetic nervous system becomes more active when you’re feeling stressed, causing the heartbeat to quicken and resulting in a lower HRV. Multiple days of recovery and less stress on the body over time will improve your baseline HRV.

A guide for your breathing exercises: 

🩷 Breathe into your belly for 4 seconds.

🩷 Hold for 4 seconds.

🩷 Breathe out for 4 seconds. 

🩷 Hold for 4 seconds.