Improving Heart Rate Variability
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the measure of variation in time between each heartbeat. It’s plays a vital role in your mind and body’s ability to self-regulate to changes in your environment and is related to your overall physical and mental health. It also can reflect how well your body responds to stress.
What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV) telling you?
HRV is a reliable biomarker of stress. Our autonomic nervous system regulates it, composed of the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) branches. The sympathetic response produces stress hormones, constricting blood vessels, increasing cardiac output, and decreasing HRV. In contrast, the parasympathetic response slows the heart rate and increases HRV, repairing the body and restoring homeostasis.
The dynamic between these two branches allows our hearts to respond to triggers and situations efficiently. Our bodies control our heart rate and blood pressure throughout the day, depending on our activity and emotions. This allows us to react appropriately to immediate challenges and recover once those moments pass.
The importance of balancing the autonomic nervous system
An optimally functioning autonomic nervous system increases HRV in the resting, parasympathetic mode. But once emotional or physical stress is present, HRV decreases, and the sympathetic mode activates to help power the body through these demanding situations.
A higher HRV helps the body quickly change its heart rate depending on what’s happening in its environment, helping to tolerate and recover appropriately from stress. Lower HRV indicates the body accumulates stress without relief or recovery, eventually leading to chronic stress and inflammation.
Is low HRV bad?
Not necessarily. HRV fluctuates throughout the day based on activity and stress. When you’re in a state of calm, and your heart is beating more slowly, your HRV will be high and lower when your heart is beating more quickly due to physical or emotional stress. Low HRV is expected, depending on what you’re doing or feeling.
For example, when exercising, your body is under physiological stress. In this case, you’re purposefully activating your sympathetic nervous system, and a low HRV is expected to help pump blood to your muscles.
If your HRV is continuously low, it indicates that you’re chronically experiencing emotional or physical stress, which eventually causes your autonomic nervous system to become imbalanced, putting you in a constant state of fight or flight.
How can you control your HRV?
There are several things within your control to start regulating your HRV for better health, including:
Reduce alcohol intake
Stop smoking
Increase physical activity
Manage stress
Drink less caffeine
A healthy diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and B-vitamins
Better sleep
While you can do a lot to increase your HRV for better health, there are some things you may not be able to change, like:
Age-HRV tends to decrease with age
Gender-Women tend to have a lower HRV than men
Chronic conditions-Diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and depression will lower HRV
Medications-Beta blockers, antiarrhythmics, and psychotropic drugs may influence HRV
Can I improve my HRV?
Yes, it just takes some work. One of the best ways to improve HRV is with regular exercise. Try to do some type of moderate exercise for at least 20 minutes each day, but don’t forget that too much exercise can put your body under stress. You also have to give your system time to recover.
Mindfulness exercises can also help improve HRV and all-around heart health. Deep breathing exercises can also help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping your mind and body relax.
Remember, you can control how your mind and body react to stress. Exercising, deep breathing, and practicing mindfulness can increase your HRV for better health and less stress on your body and heart.
