Understanding HRV (Heart Rate Variability)
If you’re health-conscious or closely follow the fitness space, then you’ve probably been hearing a lot about HRV lately. HRV is a great measure of your overall fitness level. It has been shown to be a great predictor of longevity as well.
Heart rate variability is essentially heartbeat variability. It refers to the amount of time between heartbeats. Unlike what you might expect, it is actually a sign of good HRV to have varying lengths between heartbeats, as this is a sign of resiliency. Meaning, you can better handle the stress that is coming at you!
Average HRV by Age
Here is a graphic that illustrates heart rate variability by age:
Average HRV by Age (Whoop)
As you can see, the younger you are, the higher your HRV should be. As you get older, your HRV naturally tends to decrease. However, in order to have good HRV, you want to be in the high range of average HRV by age.
The average HRV for someone in their 30s, for example, should be around 65-70. However, the average for someone in their 50s should be around 45.
Normal HRV
In order to get a good gauge for what normal HRV means to you, I recommend beginning to measure what your HRV looks like. Do this for about a month or so in order to get an accurate reading of your average, as HRV can vary day to day depending on your habits, sleep, and how hard your workouts are.
I use WHOOP to track my average HRV. This is a fitness band with a low upfront investment and then a $30-a-month subscription. This is much more affordable and accessible to the average person as compared to Oura Ring.
After you get a baseline for what your “Normal HRV” is, compare it to the diagram above. Where do you fall on the chart? Is your HRV too low? Too high? This will give you a good idea of how resilient your body is and whether or not there are areas of your health you need to work on.
Good HRV
A good HRV is anything around the top line, for your age, in the average HRV by age diagram. While it can be discouraging to see that your HRV is way lower than the average, it is encouraging to have the knowledge to improve your health! Rather than focusing on your baseline, focus on improving your HRV.
I’ll be honest, my HRV is quite low for someone in their late 20s. As someone that is eating well, working out daily, and really prioritizing her mental health, I was shocked to see my average HRV so low. However, I used this as a tool.
I began improving my sleep, meditating daily, and practicing breathwork. Slowly, my HRV has begun to improve. I’ve found HRV is very closely related to stress. As someone that deals with anxiety and stress management, this makes total sense. You can eat perfectly and do all the good habits, but if your body is still stressed, that will be reflected in your overall fitness.
What does it mean to have a low resting heart rate and low HRV?
Again, your body isn’t handling stress well. Focus on improving your sleep, breathing correctly, nourishing your body, and being more mindful. WHOOP has found the following behaviors to have a positive impact on HRV:
morning sunlight within the first hour of waking up
zone 2 cardio (light running or fast-paced walking)
breathwork (Wim Hof or even something more calming like box breathing)
not eating 3 hours before bed
So, if you have low HRV, get your WHOOP and test out these different habits. Log them in the WHOOP journal and see how they affect your HRV over time!
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