What HRV Reveals About Your Wellbeing
THE UPSHOT
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a key biomarker of autonomic nervous system health and emotional resilience. It reflects how well your body recovers from stress and adapts to life’s challenges. HRV is influenced by sleep, stress, inflammation, and emotional state. Wearables now track HRV in real-time, helping individuals make more informed decisions about their health. Practices like meditation, gratitude, breathwork, and using calming supplements can improve HRV over time.
My clients know that I think tracking Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is super important. It’s something I’ve been personally tracking throughout my 20 years-plus year practice, long before you could strap on a device. Long before others discovered the value of HRV as a biomarker, the HeartMath Institute was studying its importance. Today, it has emerged as a key indicator that bridges emotional states, cellular energy, nervous system balance, and long-term vitality. HRV reflects how adaptable your body is, how calm your mind can be, and how your heart responds to stress, sleep, and nourishment.
HRV doesn’t just measure cardiovascular efficiency, it tells a fuller story. It speaks to how you recover, how you thrive under stress, and how aligned your internal systems are. Tracking and supporting your HRV can help you make more informed decisions around movement, breathwork, nutrition, rest, and emotional care, which are core elements of my healing philosophy and framework.
What Is HRV?
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the variation in time between each heartbeat. Rather than indicating an erratic heart, a higher HRV actually reflects a strong and adaptable nervous system, one that can respond quickly and appropriately to internal and external stimuli.
This variability is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which includes the sympathetic nervous system (what you may know as the fight or flight response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, repair, and digestion). A higher HRV often indicates a well-balanced nervous system that can shift easily between action and relaxation, while lower HRV may suggest the body is stuck in chronic stress or sympathetic overdrive (1).
What Can HRV Reveal?
HRV is a reflection of how your body is adapting to everything, from sleep and movement to emotional stress and diet. It can serve as an early warning system or a marker of healing.
Low HRV is often seen in people with chronic stress because their sympathetic nervous system is overactive. This suppresses vagal tone and reduces your body’s adaptability. Poor sleep quality means the nervous system doesn’t fully shift into parasympathetic mode during the night, preventing vital restoration.
Chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction all impair vagus nerve signaling and cellular energy production, which in turn reduce HRV (2).
Blood sugar imbalances also play a role. Spikes in glucose strain the nervous system and alter heart rhythms (3).
Emotional dysregulation such as fear, anxiety, or anger lower HRV, while gratitude, joy, and calm emotional states can raise it dramatically and almost immediately (4).
What Causes HRV to Fluctuate?
HRV is not a static metric. It changes based on many internal and external factors.
Age is one key factor because HRV tends to decline with age, though consistent lifestyle practices can help preserve it.
Gender and hormonal fluctuations also play a role. For example, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can shift HRV dramatically for women.
Athletes may have high HRV due to excellent cardiovascular conditioning, but overtraining or lack of recovery can suppress HRV temporarily.
Time of day, illness, dehydration, and even the foods you eat can change your HRV in the short term (5).
Understanding HRV Scores
HRV is typically measured in milliseconds using either rMSSD (root mean square of successive differences) or SDNN (standard deviation of NN intervals). Consumer wearables like the Oura Ring or WHOOP band may use proprietary scoring systems.
While HRV scores can vary widely from person to person, a general breakdown of resting rMSSD is:
20–40 may reflect low recovery and chronic stress
40–60 is the average for most adults
60–100+ suggests high parasympathetic tone and strong adaptability
Ultimately, HRV is not about comparing yourself to others but about knowing your own baseline and tracking how it improves or declines over time (6).
The Heart-Brain Connection
The relationship between your heart and brain is a two-way communication loop that influences emotions, cognition, and overall well-being. The heart contains approximately 40,000 neurons, earning it the nickname “the heart-brain.” These neurons send signals to the brain that can influence emotional states and mental clarity.
The HeartMath Institute, where this connection has been studied for decades, refers to “heart coherence,” or the synchronized rhythm of the heart and brain. Their research shows that when you enter a state of appreciation, gratitude, or compassion, the heart sends out coherent signals that improve mental focus, reduce cortisol, and increase HRV (7).
Their Quick Coherence Technique helps activate this coherence through three simple steps: focus your attention on the heart, breathe deeply and slowly, and hold a positive feeling or memory in your mind’s eye.
Another expert source on the topic is Dr. Joe Dispenza. He teaches through his Heart Brain Coherence Mediations that elevated emotional states combined with focused breathwork can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and increase HRV.
He encourages participants to enter meditative states while focusing on emotions such as joy, gratitude, and wholeness. Retreat studies have shown significant increases in HRV among participants, alongside powerful healing experiences (8).
How Can You Improve Your HRV
Improving HRV is not about a single fix. It’s about building resilience through integrated, intentional daily practices that nourish the mind, body, and heart.
Coherent breathing techniques such as HeartMath’s Quick Coherence or simple box breathing calm the nervous system and stimulate vagal tone.
Meditation, especially when rooted in gratitude or compassion, helps regulate emotions and raises HRV.
Sleep is essential. Avoid screens before bed, create a cool and dark sleep environment, and consider calming herbs or supplements like magnesium or Sweet Dreams and Love My Calm to support GABA levels.
Nutrition also plays a major role. Plant-based, anti-inflammatory foods rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber support mitochondrial function and reduce systemic inflammation. Avoiding sugar spikes and processed foods also helps regulate nervous system activity.
Hydration is another critical factor. Dehydration can increase perceived stress levels and trigger sympathetic activation. Aim to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Physical activity, including walking, yoga, and gentle strength training, promotes cardiovascular health and HRV but so do rest and proper recovery. Overtraining without balance can suppress HRV. Time in nature and digital detoxing recalibrate your nervous system and reestablish natural rhythms.
Meaningful relationships and positive emotional states support HRV. Love, connection, laughter, and support from friends and family all buffer stress and enhance adaptability. Gratitude practices have even been shown in studies to raise HRV while improving mood and immune function.
The ANS and Emotional Resilience
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates how we respond to stress and return to equilibrium. Practices like meditation, deep breathing, and restorative movement help shift the body into parasympathetic mode, which is critical for healing and regeneration.
Developing a positive mindset and building emotional resilience through community and purpose-centered living are also key.
My supplement, Love My Calm, is designed to restore GABA levels and support calm, balance, and sleep. Supporting GABA is essential when the sympathetic nervous system is dominant and emotional regulation feels difficult.
Heart Rate Variability is one of the most powerful windows into your overall well-being. It reflects how well your systems work together: your heart, mind, emotions, breath, and biochemistry, telling you not just how stressed you are, but how well you recover.
In my practice, I teach that it’s essential to treat symptoms and to align the heart, mind, and body. HRV helps us listen deeply. Through nourishing foods, intentional movement, restorative rest, and emotional alignment, we can support higher HRV and live more energetically, joyfully, and in tune with ourselves.
xo – Serena
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can HRV be too high?
A: While a high HRV is generally associated with good health, an unusually high HRV may indicate arrhythmia or other underlying heart conditions. It’s important to understand your personal baseline and consult with a medical provider if HRV levels are dramatically inconsistent.
Q: Is HRV influenced by hormonal cycles?
A: Yes. In women, HRV can vary across the menstrual cycle and may drop during the luteal phase. Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause also influence HRV.
Q: How soon do HRV scores change after lifestyle shifts?
A: You may see changes in HRV within a few days of altering your sleep, exercise, or stress management habits. Consistency over time is what makes the most meaningful difference.
Q: Does caffeine affect HRV?
A: Yes. Caffeine is a stimulant that can increase sympathetic nervous system activity and temporarily reduce HRV, especially in sensitive individuals or in high doses.
Q: Can you improve HRV without wearables?
A: Absolutely. While wearables help track progress, practices like meditation, intentional breathing, restorative sleep, and nutrient-rich diets can significantly improve HRV even without data tracking.
Q: What is a good time of day to check HRV?
A: First thing in the morning before caffeine, food, or exercise is the most consistent time to assess HRV trends.
Q: Are HRV apps accurate?
A: Apps that sync with ECG-based chest straps tend to be most accurate. PPG-based apps and rings are improving but may be affected by movement, skin temperature, and lighting conditions.
CITATIONS:
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789
- Kim HG, Cheon EJ, Bai DS, Lee YH, Koo BH. Stress and Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis and Review of the Literature. Psychiatry Investig. 2018 Mar;15(3):235-245. doi: 10.30773/pi.2017.08.17. Epub 2018 Feb 28. PMID: 29486547; PMCID: PMC5900369.
- Hanssen NMJ, Kraakman MJ, Flynn MC, Nagareddy PR, Schalkwijk CG, Murphy AJ. Postprandial Glucose Spikes, an Important Contributor to Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes? Front Cardiovasc Med. 2020 Sep 18;7:570553. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.570553. PMID: 33195459; PMCID: PMC7530333.
- Cattaneo LA, Franquillo AC, Grecucci A, Beccia L, Caretti V, Dadomo H. Is Low Heart Rate Variability Associated with Emotional Dysregulation, Psychopathological Dimensions, and Prefrontal Dysfunctions? An Integrative View. J Pers Med. 2021 Aug 31;11(9):872. doi: 10.3390/jpm11090872. PMID: 34575648; PMCID: PMC8465800.
- Voss A, Schroeder R, Heitmann A, Peters A, Perz S. Short-term heart rate variability–influence of gender and age in healthy subjects. PLoS One. 2015 Mar 30;10(3):e0118308. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118308. PMID: 25822720; PMCID: PMC4378923.
- Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP. An Overview of Heart Rate Variability Metrics and Norms. Front Public Health. 2017 Sep 28;5:258. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258. PMID: 29034226; PMCID: PMC5624990.
- https://www.heartmath.com/blog/health-and-wellness/what-is-heart-coherence/
- Mindfulness Meditation and Placebo Modulate Distinct Multivariate Neural Signatures to Reduce Pain, Riegner, Gabriel et al. Biological Psychiatry, Volume 97, Issue 1, 81 – 88.
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