Heart Rate Variability: Why we should know more about it.
Only professional athletes could benefit from advanced measurement values and data in the past. They had access to cutting-edge technology and a team of medical experts by their side. Fortunately, advances in technology, including the development of accurate heart rate monitors and heart rate variability measurement devices like sports watches, have made access to data such as heart rate variability (HRV) more accessible than ever.
It is now relatively easy to check the health of your cardiovascular system and the progress (or lack of it) in relation to your current training plan. Whether you’re a runner, cyclist, triathlete, or general fitness enthusiast, it’s crucial to understand how you can calculate heart rate variability and use it to your advantage. The following explains the “how” and “why” of HRV measurement and gives tips on how you can improve your values.
What is heart rate variability?
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the neuro-vegetative activity and autonomic function of the heart. It characterizes the change over time from heartbeat to heartbeat (a so-called RR interval). It is commonly measured with the help of a heart rate variability monitor to gather raw data and fitness apps like Welltory to process this data to provide appropriate conclusions.
The heart rate, variable in itself, provides information about the quantity (intensity) of cardiovascular stress. The heart rate variability also includes information about the quality of the cardiovascular regulation and the variables that influence it. The heartbeat of healthy people is not steady at rest. That means: In healthy people with a resting heart rate of 60 heartbeats per minute, not every beat occurs after exactly one second or 1,000 milliseconds. Variations of over 100 milliseconds in the heartbeat sequence (from beat to beat) are a normal adaptation reaction of the heart to external and internal factors.
The variability of the heartbeat sequence (heart rate variability) shows your body’s adaptability to exogenous and endogenous influences. The heart constantly reacts to the organism’s internal signals and external demands from the environment. The reactions show up in finely tuned changes (variations) of successive heartbeat periods.
What is average heart rate variability?
Every person has an individual characteristic of heart rate variability, which is determined by age, gender, and genetic makeup. For example, children have greater variability than adults or the elderly. That makes the HRV a highly individual measure. Therefore, a comparison of your values with the values of others makes little sense, so you should mainly focus on the development and changes in your personal numbers.
Is high heart rate variability good?
Yes, precisely. High heart rate variability indicates the relatively minor role of stress in your heart rate. Those with constant high HRV tend to have a well-trained body and lots of body resources to adapt to any external conditions, regardless of their extremity.
What does low HRV tell you?
Observing your heart rate variability values can provide new and helpful insights. That includes assessing your fitness level and evaluating your stress level. In addition, you will gain knowledge that certain lifestyle factors can have a negative impact on your health.
The HRV – a kind of coach for your lifestyle
You can see that, for example, poor diet, inadequate sleep, illness, or an increase in stress can lower your HRV levels. By continuously monitoring your HRV values, you can make appropriate changes in your everyday life and make the right methodical decisions for your training.
Heart rate variability as a “recovery assistant”
Heart rate variability can help you track your training process and optimize your training. You can tell whether you are rested before training and how well or whether your body can handle another demanding session. Low heart rate variability often occurs after hard, strenuous training sessions. Once you have some proper rest and recovery, your HRV should spike again in a day or two, signifying you are ready for another hard workout.
Typically, your heart rate variability will improve as your cardiovascular fitness improves. However, if you still have a low HRV, this could indicate that you are not resting or recovering enough and need to adjust your training plan.
Tips for improving heart rate variability
Allocate some time for proper recovery
Exercising hard for too many consecutive days without a day of rest or recovery can leave your body feeling drained. Therefore, plan active recovery training or recovery days after a hard training block.
Eat a healthy and balanced diet
Did you know that alcohol affects your heart rate variable for five days? Likewise, poor nutrition can have a similar negative effect on your heart rate variability and exercise activity. So, logically, quality food should be high on the priority list.
Train your aerobic endurance
Long aerobic endurance training in the low-intensity zones, in particular, will improve your HRV readings and your general health. That will make your body tissues adapted to low oxygen, and they will require less of it in the future, which means a lower heart rate will be enough to saturate them properly.
Be consistent
Your body will adjust to the training load more quickly if you are consistent. That includes regular training, a fixed sleep rhythm, regular rest days, and a sustainable healthy diet. However, short-term changes cannot produce long-term success.
Customize your training routine
The key to success in endurance sports lies in the individualization of the training. It would be best if you did not rigidly implement the training plan. It must be adapted daily to the form of the day. It is the only way to get the most out of every training session and avoid overload or overtraining. How can this be implemented in everyday training? The recording of the heart rate variability described in this blog post is an essential component for precisely this purpose.
