A low heart rate variability (HRV) is a strong, independent predictor of future health problems and mortality. Scary, but true. Low HRV is a forecaster of both physical and emotional diseases, as well as psychological resiliency and behavioral flexibility, reflecting one’s ability to adapt effectively to changing social and environmental stressors. Every person should know their HRV and what improves it and what diminishes it! Your long happy life depends on it!
When a person is relaxed, the heart rate is low due to increased vagal tone. Higher vagal tone means that your body can relax faster after stress and is measured as the difference between your inhalation and exhalation heart rates. During relaxation, breathing is slow and deep. Breathing causes some variability in the time frame between successive heart beats, thus improves HRV. When vagal tone is high, the influence of breathing on this variability is maximized. HRV is highest when vagal PSNS activity is highest; thus, high HRV is associated with health and wellness. The higher the HRV the better and the more resilient a person will be to life’s many stressors!
Emotional, financial, structural (cervical instability) or physical stress (real or imagined) causes the heart rate to increase. The fast heart rate results in the time between heart beats to be very small. This coupled with the fact that breathing is very shallow results in a low HRV.
Caring Medical measures HRV as we put the patient under various stressors, as well as teach them how to measure HRV at home. Our patients with systemic illnesses and/or neck instability find monitoring HRV helpful in regaining full health. A finger probe is used and is connected to a mobile device app. What improves HRV is different for each person, but we typically find, and studies confirm, that relaxing music, cooler showers, meditation, prayer, deep breathing, moderate exercise, good sleep, and mindful attitudes of gratefulness all improve HRV.