During the October challenge I have been using Heart Rate Variance (Variability) to measure how well I recover from training and also to monitor how beneficial the breathing exercises and the challenge is going. I used an app HRV4Training – which is £8.99 but very good and is the only app that is accurate to take the measurements. It is used by the athletes of the Scottish Institute of Sport and has provided a really informative outcome for my challenge.
When I first started I didn’t know much around HRV – I have decided to write a blog on the detail of what I have learned around the measurement tool. I am not a specialist in this by any means but i have loved learning around the topic.
Heart rate variability: What is it?
Your heart rate may vary slightly from one beat to the next, which is known as heart rate variability. These slight changes only lengthen or shorten the time between beats by a fraction of a second.
With the exception of sophisticated equipment, these changes cannot be detected. Cardiac rate variability may be present in healthy people, but it can also be a sign of other health difficulties, such as heart disorders and psychological problems like anxiety and depression.
Is the variability of heart rate an arrhythmia?
Heart rate fluctuation is a common phenomenon and is not by itself an arrhythmia.
“Sinus rhythm” refers to your heart’s regular beat. “Sinus arrhythmia” is the term for when your heart is beating correctly yet there is more than 0.12 seconds of variability between heartbeats. Sometimes heart rate variability satisfies the requirements for sinus arrhythmia.
Breathing is typically the cause of sinus arrhythmia (also known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia), which is a typical reflex of your heart and circulatory system. Sinus arrhythmia, on the other hand, may indicate a different cardiac condition that requires evaluation by a healthcare professional when it isn’t brought on by breathing.
How does the heart’s variability function?
Your heart beats consistently at a certain rate. Depending on what you’re doing at the moment, that rate changes. When you are resting or relaxing, your heart rate is slower; when you are busy, stressed, or in danger, your heart rate is faster. Your heart rate varies depending on your breathing habits and your body’s needs. Your heart rate variability may also be impacted by specific prescription drugs and medical equipment, such as pacemakers. As you age, your heart rate variability naturally tends to decrease as well.
Your heart must be capable of responding to changes in your life and surroundings whether you are awake or asleep, relaxed or under stress. It depends on another body system for support because it is unable to choose when to respond on its own.
Heart rate variability and sympathetic versus parasympathetic branches
Your heart is supported by your nerve system and brain. Your brain receives information about everything around you via your senses, including sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Your brain can communicate directly with your heart, telling it when to beat faster and harder.
Your autonomic nervous system, pronounced “auto-nom-ick,” is the pathway directly to your heart. Even while you are asleep, this section of your brain and this group of nerves work without your conscious awareness. Your sympathetic nervous system and your parasympathetic nervous system are its two main divisions.
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve systems function generally in the following ways:
Sympathetic. Your “fight-or-flight” response is a result of this. In emergency conditions, it controls blood pressure and heart rate increases.
Parasympathetic. Particularly after being in fight-or-flight mode, this helps balance out the sympathetic nervous system and regulates the natural relaxation response. In particular while you’re relaxing, it manages lowering your blood pressure and heart rate.
Let’s look at an illustration of how these two areas of your nervous system interact.
Your sympathetic nervous system activates and initiates the fight-or-flight reaction if you perceive a threat, feel scared or startled, or are apprehensive about anything. Your body produces adrenaline to help you react more quickly. Your heart rate increases in case physical exercise causes your muscles to require additional blood and oxygen.
Your parasympathetic nervous system takes control once the circumstance that caused you to enter fight-or-flight mode has passed. It reduces your blood pressure and signals your heart rate to settle down again. Additionally, it instructs a number of bodily systems to unwind or resume their regular operations.
Why is a variable heart rate a beneficial thing?
Numerous systems and characteristics in your body enable it to adjust to your environment and activities. The flexibility of your heart reveals how adaptive your body is. Your body can often adjust to numerous different modifications if your heart rate is highly varied. People with high heart rate variability tend to be happy and less anxious.
Low heart rate variability is typically regarded as a symptom of existing or impending health issues because it implies that your body is less adaptable and has a harder time adapting to change. Additionally, it occurs more frequently in those with higher resting heart rates. Because there is less time between beats when your heart beats more quickly, there is less chance for variability. This frequently occurs in the case of diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart arrhythmia, asthma, anxiety, and depression.
How is the variability of heart rate determined?
Because the variations in your heart rate are so slight, it requires specific tools or technologies to pick them up. Non-medical gadgets that can track heart rate variability are now widely available and reasonably priced thanks to advancements in technology.
An ECG machine, commonly known as an EKG, is typically used in a medical environment to identify heart rate variability. This instrument uses sensors affixed to the skin of your chest to measure the electrical activity of your heart. Additionally, medical professionals may advise you to go home wearing a monitor that continuously records your heart rate variability over an extended period of time. Your heart rate variability can be tracked for anywhere between a few minutes and 24 hours. Longer monitoring periods typically result in better data.
There are a number of equipments that sportsmen, particularly runners, frequently use outside of a medical context. These often include a piece of equipment that is fastened to a band that goes around your chest. Some resemble pulse oximeters, which are attached to your finger and measure your heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, are more sensitive and precise.
The majority of fitness trackers and devices worn on the wrist measure your heart rate through your skin. Unfortunately, this implies that they frequently lack the sensitivity necessary to precisely identify heart rate variability.
Can I increase the variability of my heart rate?
There are several methods you can use to raise your heart rate variability. Some call for enhancing your physical health. Taking care of your mental health is one of the others. A few general actions are listed below:
Take good care of yourself. Your general health—particularly the condition of your heart—is improved by regular exercise and a good diet, which can also aid your variability.
Ensure the health of your mind. Your heart rate variability greatly depends on your mental wellness. Your capacity to control your stress level can increase the variability of your heart rate. Taking steps to manage your mental health issues, such as sadness or anxiety, can help.
“Biofeedback training” is a technique for enhancing heart rate variability. You can increase your heart rate variability by managing your breathing through biofeedback training. Additionally, there is proof that biofeedback training might lower your stress and anxiety levels.
It’s crucial to remember that your heart rhythm is highly intricate. Although there are gadgets and applications that can monitor your heart rate variability, a healthcare professional is best suited to examine your heart rate and provide you advice on what you can and should do about it.
Hope this helps – please ask if you have any questions around the topic and I’ll try my hardest to answer these.
James