When it comes to supporting our health and wellness, we often hear about the importance of managing our heart rate, with an emphasis on regulating blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. However, there’s a lesser-known yet equally important heart health metric to consider: our heart rate variability (HRV). Ahead, learn the importance of HRV, including what it is, its impact on health, and simple lifestyle habits that can help balance it.
What is HRV?
Simply put, HRV refers to the variation in time between each consecutive heartbeat. Controlled by our autonomic nervous system, HRV reflects the balance between our sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) states. Though subtle, these fluctuations in heart rate intervals provide valuable insights into the body’s ability to adapt to various stressors — both internal and external — shedding light on the state of our nervous system, cardiovascular system, and overall health.
So, what does this mean exactly?
How Does Heart Rate Variability Impact Health?
Think of heart rate variability as an internal gauge for your nervous system, showcasing our ability to adapt and respond to life’s various stressors and demands in real time. By understanding this cardiovascular metric, we can gain insights into data such as the health of our heart and risk of cardiovascular disease, resilience to stress, autonomic nervous system functioning, physical fitness, immune and metabolic health, cognitive function, and even longevity.
What is a High Heart Rate Variability?
Individuals with a high HRV are generally well-equipped to handle stress, recover from physical exertion, and remain in a healthier, more balanced state. Why is this so? Simply put, when HRV is high, it indicates that the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest) is effectively counterbalancing the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight), suggesting the body is primed and ready to manage and recover from the demands placed upon it, whether physical, mental, or emotional.
A higher HRV has been linked to:
- Reduced risk of heart disease
- Reduced stress levels and improved resilience to stress
- Improved mental health
- Enhanced cognitive function
- Healthier lifestyle choices and decision-making
What is a Low Heart Rate Variability?
A low HRV, on the other hand, often indicates a state of sympathetic nervous system dominance, or a stress state. Think of low HRV as a red flag, alerting the body that it’s overloaded by chronic stress or serious health issues, such as hypertension, diabetes, or even mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. When in this state, individuals may find it harder to recover, both mentally and physically, putting the body at risk for illness and disease.
A lower HRV has been linked to:
- High stress levels, anxiety, and depression
- Potential heart problems
- Chronic inflammation
- A compromised immune system
- Insulin resistance and higher risk of diabetes
- Increased mortality risk
- Cognitive decline
However, in discussing high and low HRV, it’s important to understand that HRV is highly individualized. Rather than focus on a specific number or target, the ideal way to assess your HRV health is to track your individual trends over a longer period of time. You can do this by wearing a smart device equipped with HRV tracking abilities. While your HRV may fluctuate from day to day, ideally, you want to see an upward trend, with a gradual increase.
What Lifestyle Habits Affect HRV?
Similar to most areas of health, HRV can be influenced for better or worse — healthy lifestyle habits can enhance HRV and promote better resilience, while negative habits can reduce HRV and increase susceptibility to stress and illness.
When it comes to supporting HRV, the following habits have been shown to have a positive effect:
- Regular exercise or physical activity
- Adequate sleep
- Stress management
- A balanced anti-inflammatory diet
On the other hand, to prevent lowering HRV, the following lifestyle habits should be limited or avoided:
- Excess alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- High or chronic stress
- Poor sleep habits
- Ultra-processed and artificial food
- Sedentary lifestyles
As for specific tips on how to increase and support heart rate variability, here’s what the research says.
How to Increase Heart Rate Variability
Maintain an Active Lifestyle
Whether it’s dedicated workouts, frequent walks with your dog, or making an effort to take the stairs and increase your daily steps, incorporating more movement into your daily routine is crucial for increasing HRV. In fact, research shows that regular exercise can significantly enhance HRV, both for healthy individuals and those with chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure. The important thing is to stay consistent! With so many classes on the FitOn app (HIIT, yoga, and even Tai Chi), there’s something for everyone.
Consume a Colorful, Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Filling your plate with a variety of colorful whole food nutrients is one of the best things you can do for nearly all metrics of your health, HRV included! Prioritize a balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, and anti-inflammatory properties, these foods can help support a higher HRV. While it’s important to find the best diet for you, the Mediterranean diet and other anti-inflammatory eating styles are great models to consider, providing powerful benefits.
RELATED: 9 Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle Habits to Practice Daily
Limit Alcohol & Avoid Consumption Of Ultra-Processed Foods
There’s research to suggest that chronic drinking can reduce HRV, and consumption of just two or more alcoholic beverages could decrease HRV by as much as 30 percent. Similarly, a diet high in ultra-processed foods, which often contain unhealthy fats, sugars, and additives, can negatively impact HRV. Research has shown that consuming ultra-processed foods can lead to inflammation and poor cardiovascular health, both of which are associated with lower HRV. As mentioned above, prioritizing nutrient-dense foods can help support higher HRV. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and stick to foods in their most natural state!
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important lifestyle factors for supporting and improving overall health and well-being. Needed for immune health, heart health, cognitive health, metabolism, and everything in between, you don’t want to skimp on sleep! Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support your nervous system and optimize HRV levels. To enhance quality shut-eye, try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and cultivate a supportive sleep environment — one that’s cool, dark, and ideally, noise-free.
Manage Stress With Relaxation Techniques
While acute stress can be helpful to the body, chronic stress is problematic. It activates your sympathetic nervous system and leads to a persistent state of fight-or-flight, which can lower HRV and negatively impact overall health. Not to mention, chronic stress is associated with various health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, mental health disorders, and a weakened immune system. To counteract these effects, incorporating relaxation techniques such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, and calming yoga into your daily routine can be highly beneficial. These techniques promote parasympathetic activity, helping to calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and increase HRV.
Stay Adequately Hydrated
While easy to overlook, staying adequately hydrated is essential for maintaining optimal heart rate variability and overall health. Proper hydration ensures that your cardiovascular system functions efficiently, helping to maintain balanced blood volume and pressure, which are crucial for autonomic balance. Dehydration, on the other hand, can strain the heart, leading to reduced blood flow, impaired autonomic regulation, and as a result, lower HRV. To maintain hydration, try to keep a water bottle near at all times as a reminder. You can also incorporate water-rich foods, or even make a fun and fancy mocktail or juice made with hydrating ingredients like coconut water and a sprinkle of sea salt.
The Bottom Line
While HRV in and of itself is just one health metric to consider, it serves as a valuable indicator of overall health and well-being. And, knowledge is power. By understanding and monitoring HRV, individuals can gain insights into their autonomic nervous system function, stress levels, and cardiovascular health. High HRV generally reflects a well-balanced, resilient system, while low HRV can indicate potential health issues or chronic stress. To support your heart health, enhance your stress resilience, and improve your overall quality of life, give these simple lifestyle habits a try. From managing stress, to prioritizing sleep and healthy eating, to limiting alcohol and ultra-processed foods, there are so many ways you can positively influence HRV.
