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Want to know more about keeping tabs on your HRV? Find out what your numbers can tell you about managing your stress, getting quality sleep and staying healthy.
You may already check your weight, blood pressure or glucose levels regularly to safeguard your health, but you might also want to see if you have good heart rate variability (HRV).
Your HRV numbers can tell you how you are coping with stress and if you need to make changes. The good news is, it's easier to track than it once was.
Read on to find out how and why to measure HRV.
HRV looks at the variation in time between heartbeats in milliseconds and offers another way to check your wellbeing.
Your heart rate variability is controlled by your autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and digestion. It's divided into two parts:
the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system and
the parasympathetic (relaxation response) nervous system
Your brain's hypothalamus constantly sends signals to the rest of your body, telling it when you should stimulate (fight or flight) or relax. These signals respond to what's happening to you physically, emotionally and in your environment.
This means a poor night's sleep, a big fight with your partner, good news from your family or an extra helping of dessert all affect your body's response and, therefore, your HRV.
When you have ongoing stressors — looming deadlines at work, a trying phase with your teen, too many nights of sleep deprivation — you're prone to an overblown fight or flight response, and your HRV measurement will reflect this.
HRV data can tell you when stressors are getting the best of your health. When you're stressed out, the variation between your heartbeats is low. Conversely, when you're relaxed, the variation is high.
A good heart rate variability means that you benefit from more energy, greater recovery, easy relaxation, better physical and cognitive performance, and a well-balanced heart and mind. High HRV is good because it shows that your body can recover when you sleep each night.
Athletes often monitor HRV and use it to build up their performance.
"We have used HRV in some of our rehabilitation and return-to-play-programs to monitor the physiological recovery and gain insight into managing the physical fatigue as well as establishing exercise intensity and the recovery programs of our athletes," said Bryan "Flea" Engel, the Head Athletic Trainer of the Green Bay Packers. "HRV allows us to obtain data concerning physiological changes in response to physical activity/rehabilitation/recovery of our athletes through a non-invasive method. By monitoring HRV, we hope to optimize recovery and prevent fatigue as we prepare our athletes for a return from injury, in the preparation for competition and recovery from a contest."
Measuring HRV isn't just for athletes — it can tell you how you manage day-to-day stress and whether your lifestyle habits are on track. People that have high HRV have better cardiovascular fitness, can be more resilient to stress and managing their stressors is easier.
The reverse is also true: A study in Behavioural Pharmacology found that reduced HRV may be associated with diabetes and heart disease.
Measuring HRV can give you clues into your lifestyle; it can help motivate you to make healthier choices and even play a role in predicting how you feel and whether your workouts, sleep, mindfulness practices and self-care habits are paying off.
Health tech companies have also started to realize the importance of this marker for resilience and behavioral flexibility, making it much easier to measure HRV.
Besides heading to your doctor's office for an electrocardiogram, you can track HRV at home — with a Sleep Number® smart bed, for instance. It comes with SleepIQ® technology that offers insights into various sleep data, including heart rate variability.
The HRV technology allows you to understand how your body recovers each night, and it helps you keep tabs on energy levels, relaxation, sleep stats and the balance of relaxation and stimulation. The sleep stats can help you make adjustments when needed.
Why a bed? It's best to track HRV during sleep because external factors don't impact the measurement.
When to gather insights: Experts recommend checking HRV in the morning when you wake up and a few times per week as you deal with life's daily stressors as a great way to improve your motivation and see how the healthy lifestyle changes you make improve your resilience and help you achieve good heart rate variability.
Don't get too hung up if your HRV is high or low and if it doesn't always correlate with how you're feeling or what's going on in your life.
Your numbers may vary due to factors like stress, sleep and emotional and physical stimuli each day. Sleep Number® smart beds can help you keep tabs on your heart rate variability.
Measuring your HRV should be a preventative measure, like a regular weigh-in or a weekly blood pressure check. When you monitor HRV, it can be another powerful tool to help motivate yourself and to keep you on a healthy path.
Like diet and exercise, quality sleep is essential for optimal wellbeing and performance. Because everyone's sleep needs are different, Sleep Number® smart beds sense your movements and automatically adjust firmness, comfort and support to keep you both sleeping comfortably. Find your Sleep Number® setting for your best possible night's sleep.