Stress kills! Two of the most powerful metrics the daily HRV reading produces measure stress. This article will help you to understand the metrics, and give you tips on how to lower your stress levels. SRRS In 1967, Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, two psychiatrists working at the University of Washington produced a paper that… Continue reading Stress and HRV
Tag: HRV
Using wearables to measure HRV
The validity of HRV results using wearables has been questioned in academia. Wearable devices usually adopt photoplethysmography (PPG), using the photo sensors in the device, rather than electrocardiograph (ECG) that is used in medical and strap based heart rate monitors (HRM), to measure HRV. The top wearable devices use algorithms to compensate for the inaccuracies… Continue reading Using wearables to measure HRV
People with high HRV live longer
HRV declines with age[1]RMSSD by age and gender. When looking at the statistics it appears that the rate of declines slows as we get older, and then reverses after 80[2]Relation of high heart rate variability to healthy longevity. The reason for this pattern lies in the way that averages work. People with lower HRV die… Continue reading People with high HRV live longer
Using HRV to reduce stress and improve training
The top athletes having been using HRV for the past couple of decades to improve their training to higher performance levels. Here’s how they do it. After putting in months of diligent base training, the racing season approaches. Most athletes follow a training plan. The basic training process isn’t complicated. Assessment: Ability and event demands;… Continue reading Using HRV to reduce stress and improve training
HRV and smoking
I am the guinea pig for many of the experiments that I’ve conducted with HRV. This one has been involuntary. While a number of countries, like the UK and New Zealand, are taking active steps to reduce smoking in the population, Switzerland is way behind. New Zealand is aiming to reduce smokers to 5% of the… Continue reading HRV and smoking
RMSSD by age and gender
The HRV Health system produces a metric called “Percentile” which reflects the percentile into which the RMSSD result fits, relative to the general population by age and gender. This is the base data that our algorithm uses to produce the Percentile result. RMSSD and HRV Score by age and gender[1]Short-term heart rate variability–influence of gender… Continue reading RMSSD by age and gender
Reversing ageing with HRV
As we get older our health deteriorates. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures health, and that decline in health appears as lower HRV. At the age of 65, my HRV score should be 51. As the graph above confirms, even at its worst my score is always above 65 – the score for a 25 year… Continue reading Reversing ageing with HRV
Why HRV poses a threat to doctors
One of HRV Health’s users (Jill) went for a required routine medical check-up. On reviewing Jill’s x-ray, the doctor concluded that she had “a problem” with her lungs, and could not grant medical clearance. Jill was devastated. Jill exercises daily, and her HRV metrics reflect that. We told her to get a second opinion. The… Continue reading Why HRV poses a threat to doctors
Sleep tracking
I’ve always been able to sleep well, until I couldn’t. It happened while I was in Vietnam where I’d been living for a couple of years. Vietnam has the second highest road mortality rate in South-East Asia. In a space of six months, I’d seen five, which made my favourite pastime, cycling, a bit of… Continue reading Sleep tracking
Surviving killer diseases with HRV
We recently published a list of the most common causes of death in the USA[1]Ten most common causes of death in the USA. The question is, can HRV help to reduce the mortality rate?. Low HRV is associated with: Heart disease Dementia (and to a lesser extent Alzheimer’s disease) Diabetes Depression and suicidal ideation HRV… Continue reading Surviving killer diseases with HRV