Categories >> Body Measurements >> Heart Rate Variability
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation in time between heartbeats. It’s a measure of how well the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is regulating heart rate. HRV can indicate the presence of health issues, such as heart conditions and mental health issues. [1, 2, 3, 4]
What HRV measures [1, 4]
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS): HRV measures how well the ANS is regulating heart rate. The ANS is made up of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
• Blood pressure: HRV reflects how well the ANS regulates blood pressure.
• Gas exchange: HRV reflects how well the ANS regulates gas exchange.
• Gut: HRV reflects how well the ANS regulates the gut.
• Vascular tone: HRV reflects how well the ANS regulates vascular tone, which is the diameter of blood vessels.
What HRV can indicate [5]
• Heart health: HRV can indicate the risk of cardiac diseases. [5]
• Mental health: HRV can indicate mental health issues like anxiety and depression. [2]
• Stress: HRV can indicate how well the body is responding to stress. [6]
• Sleep: HRV can indicate how well the body is responding to poor sleep. [4]
How to measure HRV [3]
• Spectral analysis is a non-invasive tool that can be used to measure HRV. [3]
• Non-linear measures, such as the Poincare plot, can be used to measure HRV. [7]
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5624990/
[2] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21773-heart-rate-variability-hrv
[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6548839/
[4] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789
[5] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8950456/%5B6%5D
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH8oK8FazUc%5B7%5D
[7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7238479/