What is HRV, and why does it matter?
As a patient of our functional clinic, you’ve likely heard about the importance of heart rate variability (HRV) for your health. But what is HRV, and why does it matter?
Put simply, HRV refers to the variation in time between each heartbeat. It measures the health and flexibility of your autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls many of your body’s automatic functions, like breathing and digestion.
When your ANS is healthy and balanced, your heart rate will naturally vary as you breathe in and out. This variation signifies that your body can adapt to changes in your environment and respond appropriately to stress.
On the other hand, if your ANS is imbalanced or stressed, your HRV may be reduced, meaning that your heart rate is less able to vary with your breathing. This can signify chronic stress, inflammation, or even the early stages of the disease.
So why does HRV matter for your health? Here are just a few reasons:
- Stress management: By tracking your HRV, you can get a sense of your body’s stress response and learn techniques to manage it. For example, deep breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, and regular exercise can all help improve HRV and reduce stress.
- Athletic performance: Many athletes use HRV tracking to optimise their training and recovery. By monitoring their HRV, they can ensure they’re not overtraining and give their bodies adequate rest and recovery time.
- Chronic disease prevention: As we mentioned earlier, reduced HRV can be a sign of chronic stress or inflammation, which are linked to a higher risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers. By monitoring your HRV and taking steps to improve it, you can help reduce your risk of these diseases.
So how can you improve your HRV? Here are some tips:
- Get regular exercise: Even a few minutes of light exercise daily can help improve HRV.
- Practice deep breathing exercises: Slow, deep breathing can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system (which promotes relaxation) and improve HRV.
- Reduce stress: Stress management techniques like meditation, yoga, and spending time in nature can all help improve HRV.
- Improve sleep: Getting adequate, restful sleep is essential for overall health and can help improve HRV.
Our clinic offers Heart Rate Variability Device as an add-on service to help our patients improve their HRV score and ultimately improve their health more quickly. Using the HRV device is like a shortcut to hours of meditation in just 30 minutes.
If you’re interested in learning more about HRV and how it relates to your health, talk to one of our practitioners.
