- HRV: Health Indicator
- HRV Benefits and Risks
- Use and Interpretation
Doctors have stated that a measurement on your fitness tracker that is typically disregarded could be “the best indicator of health in the world.
Understanding Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the minor variation in the interval between each heartbeat.
Furthermore, variability could serve as a crucial indicator of present or impending health issues.
A higher heart rate variability (HRV) is generally regarded as advantageous as it indicates increased interbeat variability, which enhances the organ’s resistance to stress.
When the duration between heartbeats varies minimally or not at all, the body may be in “fight or flight mode”; the nervous system may have identified a threat or stressor.
This may be precipitated by cardiovascular ailments as well as psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.
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A higher HRV reduces cardiovascular disease risk, while a lower HRV increases hypertension and diabetes risk.
Heart rate variability is not arrhythmia, a serious medical disorder that causes an erratic heartbeat.
Arrhythmia, which can cause cardiac arrest, stroke, or heart failure, has an interval variance larger than 0.12 seconds.
HRV is quantified by medical professionals through the utilization of an electrocardiogram monitor, commonly referred to as an EKG.
HRV measurement is possible in as many as forty percent of wearables and personal fitness monitors, according to pathologist and editor-at-large for the online medical journal Medscape, Dr. George Lundberg.
Some devices continuously transmit real-time results to a paired smartphone; over one hundred million Americans wear these trackers.
Conditions and HRV
Significant variations in HRV have been associated with a variety of mental and physical conditions, including PTSD, sleep disorders, depression, cardiac arrhythmias, overexertion, and certain medications, according to experts.
HRV, measured in milliseconds, is often less than 100 in children under 10. There is an approximate reduction of 10 milliseconds per decade of life.
The average is 70 milliseconds between 30 and 40, 40 between 60 and 70, and 10 between 90 and 100.
Florida-based chronic pain specialist Dr. Ross Hauser stated that HRV is the most accurate predictor of a variety of factors, including “whether or not you will live a long life, whether or not you will become ill in the near future, and even if you will sustain an athletic injury.”
HRV reveals the body’s physical and mental endurance, thus this is likely. Chronic stress without physiological rehabilitation may damage the nervous system, lowering heart rate variability.
In a recent editorial, Dr. George Lundberg, pathologist and editor at large for Medscape, emphasized the significance of the measurement.
He wrote that HRV might be a “simple yet potent tool for monitoring overall health and well-being.”
HRV is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which controls respiration, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure.
During a state of fight-or-flight, HRV typically reduces; conversely, during relaxation, it may increase.
Additionally, pacemakers and other medications and medical devices can alter HRV, skewing results and occasionally indicating a decrease in HRV.
Because it indicates that the body struggles to adapt to altering circumstances, such as stress, inadequate sleep, an unhealthy diet, dysfunctional relationships, isolation or solitude, and lack of exercise, a low HRV may be an indicator of present or future health issues.
Improving HRV and Its Challenges
Stress management, regular exercise, a balanced diet, enough sleep, and abstinence from smoking and drinking can boost HRV.
Changes in HRV are associated with a variety of factors, including “PTSD, physician occupational stress, sleep disorders, depression, various cardiac arrhythmias, fatigue, overexertion, medications, and age itself,” according to a “substantial and relatively old body of heart rhythm literature.”
Dr. Lundberg further stated that the efficacy of HRV data is contingent on its appropriate analysis and dissemination, as “credible research regarding this enormous mass of accumulating data from wearables is lacking.”
Boston primary care physician Dr. Marcelo Campos advised, “Be careful not to become overly confident if your HRV is high, or overly concerned if it is low,” since the correlation between HRV and how well the body is functioning requires further investigation.
He suggested using HRV to see how your body and mind react to daily difficulties.
The Cleveland Clinic states that since the majority of wrist-worn devices monitor heart rate via the epidermis. They may lack the sensitivity necessary to accurately detect heart rate variability.
