Heart Rate Variability
Heart rate variability or HRV is the variation in the time interval between consecutive heartbeats (in milliseconds). A normal, healthy heart does not tick evenly like a metronome, but instead, it changes rhythm with every beat. Some situations result in an increase in variation (high HRV), while others cause the intervals between beats to stay more constant (low HRV).
Heart Rate Variability Reflects The State of Your Nervous System
HRV is linked to your autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the balance between the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) and sympathetic (fight-or-flight) branches. By balancing the two forces, the ANS helps you respond to daily stressors and regulate some of your body’s most important systems, including heart rate, respiration, and digestion.
HRV is the most effective way of estimating your ANS balance, as it directly impacts your heart’s activity.
Effectively, by assessing your heart rate variability, I can determine how stressed or burnt out your nervous system is, and give you a better indication of how long it may take for you to replenish your body.
Your parasympathetic nervous system, aka rest-and-digest, tells your heart to slow down, making room for variability between beats (higher HRV). Your sympathetic, or fight-or-flight system, tells your heart to speed up, limiting space for variability (lower HRV). There are times when activating your stress response is a good thing, but the key is being able to deactivate it, and move back into a restful, calm state.
As a rule of thumb:
High HRV is associated with rest-and-digest, general fitness, and good recovery
Low HRV is associated with fight-or-flight, stress, illness, or overtraining
Heart rate variability does not have a ‘goal number’ to reach for, because it is a relative measure, and unique for each person. My goal in practice is to see an increase in your heart rate variability, and therefore an improvement in your stress resilience.
HeartMath Heart Rate Variability Assessment
There are a few reasons why I chose the HeartMath system to assess your HRV in my practice.
Firstly, HeartMath is non-invasive, gentle, and can be used easily during each initial consult.
Secondly, HeartMath includes a program that can be performed on the computer, which teaches you how to better regulate your heart rhythm through your breath and your thoughts! (And… it’s FUN - they are computer GAMES!).
Thirdly, if you are not able to have a physical appointment with me due to distance, virtual consults can be offered, where you purchase a mobile HRV assessment device that connects to your mobile phone app, and you can improve your health from the comfort of your own home.
The benefits of HeartMath programs
What I am noticing after years of clinical experience, is that if you don’t change the patterns and habits that got you into your current state, you will tend to bounce in and out of your dis-ease symptoms. Our nervous systems love familiarity, and they will remain in an unhealthy, stressed-out state, just to remain in familiar territory.
HeartMath programs help to retrain your nervous system, guiding it towards a stronger parasympathetic nervous system tone, improving your vagus nerve, and helping you have more stress tolerance. The more familiar this state becomes, the less you will need someone like me to guide you (and you’ll notice your health and lifestyle improves too!).
Studies conducted with over 11,500 people have shown improvements in mental & emotional well-being in just 6-9 weeks using HeartMath training and technology:
24% improvement in the ability to focus
30% improvement in sleep
38% improvement in calmness
46% drop in anxiety
48% drop in fatigue
56% drop in depression
1:1 Coaching
(HeartMath and Vagus stimulation)
I hope after reading this, you are as excited about heart rate variability (and the power of the vagus nerve) as I am!
I offer a 6 session HeartMath-focused coaching (over 12 weeks), which supports you in activating your own vagal tone, improving your heart rate variability and your nervous system health.
We cover:
A BUNCH of HeartMath tools
A deep dive into many of the reasons why your vagus nerve is the way it is today
Guidance on the best way to physically activate your vagus nerve (and no, it’s not always gargling!)
Option to purchase a HeartMath Inner Balance Tech (hooks up to your phone) - not essential for improvement
You walk away with knowledge of your own nervous system, and the exact tools that work best for YOU (we are all individuals after all), and having created new habits over the 12 weeks.