Sounds like science fiction. It is science. It is not fiction.
Heart rate variability - the science of measuring your health - accurately and reliably every day.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is great science. We did not invent it. We are perfecting it.
HRV is the measure of health. The higher the numbers, the better your health.
Good health is part genetic and mostly good lifestyle. People who exercise regularly, eat healthy, sleep well, and look after themselves have high HRV, and are rarely ill. People who smoke, have poor diets, lead sedentary lives, drink too much alcohol have low HRV and this shows in their medical history and quality of life in retirement.
HRV drops with age, and improving HRV is the way to reverse the aging process. With the HRV Health Pro app you can measure your progress.
Athletes have been using HRV for years to measure the impact of rigorous training on their systems, adapting their training regimen according to what their HRV data says. When they are overtrained, the HRV figure will tell them that it’s time to take a break. When they’re on a good day, the data gives them the confidence to push that little bit harder.
People with health conditions are advised to change their lifestyles. The HRV metrics tell them when the changes are working.
Crucial to the validity of the results are the quality of the data acquisition equipment and the reading conditions. This is the foundation of our thinking. The apps only link to the Polar H9 and H10 heart rate monitors, and we look for indicators that warn if the reading is taken in less than ideal conditions.
The philosophy creates trust - crucial for decision making based on the results.
HRV Health has a web based platform where users can see all of their results. But not everyone wants all that information every day.
The HRV Health Pro app is designed for people who care about their health, love and trust the guidance that the HRV Health results give them, and want to see their data and graphs on their mobile device.
Our app also allows users to take ECG readings. One day soon, doctors will say: “Just send me your HRV Health ECG graph.”
It is here now, and it works.
The HRV Health Platform gives its users the ability to measure their health and fitness with heart rate variability and resting heart rate as the scientifically proven advantage that elite athletes use to dominate their sports.
Your heart is your personal pathologist
Resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) are metrics that give consistent feedback on our health status and fitness.
The Healthcare Crises
Healthcare costs are rising at an unsustainable rate. In America they are already 16.8% of GDP. The other rich economies are on the same trajectory.
The basic HRV Health services are free for non-corporate users. The premium services, including ECG readings, Poincaré plots, and reading interpretations are only available to subscribers. Read: Why HRV Health is free
Which heart rate monitor do I need?
The HRV Health Apps work with the Polar H9 and H10 heart rate monitors. The Polar H10 HRM is required to take ECG readings. Read: Which heart rate monitor should you get
Why do I need a chest heart rate monitor?
HRV is measured in milliseconds. Only chest heart rate monitors that use ECG technology can provides heart beat data at this level of accuracy. Read: Your heart is your personal pathologist
What do the HRV numbers mean?
There are a range of metrics that are derived from the HRV data. The most important figures are the rMSSD, the ratio, stress, and the resting heart rate Read: Understanding the numbers
How do I improve the HRV numbers?
Lifestyle impacts HRV figures. Exercise, relaxation, a health diet, and good sleep all have a positive impact on the metrics. Stress, poor sleep, poor diet, excessive alcohol intake, smoking, and a sedentary lifetyle have affect the HRV resutls negaitively. Read: Improving the numbers
How do I take accurate readings?
The most accurate readings are obtained when you are close to your resting pulse rate. Measuring first thing in the morning is the best way to obtain the baseline. Ensure that you are comfortable. Avoid distraction: the news, emails and conversation will all impact the reading, usually negatively. Once you have established a baseline, feel free to experiment with other times of the day, always ensuring the the resting heart rate is a realistic proximation of the baseline. Read: Measuring HRV
How do I use the Poincaré plot?
The Poincaré plot should be cigar shaped, from bottom left to top right. Random reading points may be casue for concern. A highly concerntrated circle shaped Poincaré plot is an indicator of poor health and the existence a chronic condition that requires urgent medical attention. Read: Understanding the Poincaré plot
I am recovering from a serious medical condition. Can I use HRV to measure my progress towards recovery?
Yes. The steps towards recovery will display with improved HRV numbers. Sleep is crucial to recovery, as is exercise. A serious illness is a reminder of our mortaility, and the HRV numbers will reflect how seriously we take the warning. Read: Recovering from illness or injury using HRV
What is the purpose of the information that is required during registration?
The name is required as a courtesy for correspondence. HRV is age and gender dependent which the reason for the birthdate and gender. The email address is required for correspondence, and for sending to backups of your data. Read: Using the HRV Health Pro app
Where can I find the research backing up the HRV Health system?
The HRV Health system conforms to the HRV standards established in 1996. We have a web-page dedicated to the science behind our technology. Read: HRV Research
How do I know if I am overtraining?
Overtraining is a syndrome, and it shows up in the HRV results like an illness. Overtraining can have a long term impact on your ability to reach your goals. Look for the warning signs in your HRV results. Subscribers have access to recovery advisories, designed to optimize your training, and ensure that you avoid overtraining. Read: HRV and overtraining
How does HRV work?
Heart rate variability or HRV is the measure of your immune system. It is the measure of the interval between each heart beat over a period of time. (IBI) The greater the variability between the heart beat intervals, the healthier the immune system. Read: Your heart is your personal pathologist
This is a fascinating subject. What should I read to understand more?
You need to have a Polar H9 or H10 HRM to take the readings. Once you have the HRM, install the HRV Health app, and register on the HRV Health platform. Then you are ready to start taking readings. It is important to establish the baseline of your health before interpreting the results. Take readings each morning for five days, and the metrics will give you an indication of your state of health. Read the articles about what the numbers mean, and how to improve them. Read: Starting out with HRV Health
My Polar H10 is not connecting to the HRV Health app. Why not?
How do I fix problems when using the HRV Health apps?
There are a range of reasons that you may have problems getting the app to work, from not having proper Internet connect to not having the heart monitor on, of the battery being flat. We have detailed troubleshooting guides on the support page and in our article. Read: Trouble shooting the HRV Health apps
How do I get to understand HRV?
For new HRV Health members the amount of material appears overwhelming. We have compiled a list of suggested reading that will assist people who are new to the science to become familiar with how it works. Read: HRV Health: what should you read?
Are wearables an accurate substitute for measuring HRV?
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). PPG is not as accurate as ECG. We have tested both, with some interesting results. Read: Using wearables to measure HRV
How do I use HRV to achieve peak performance in my exercise?
HRV has been helping elite athletes to achieve peak performance for the past couple of decades. At HRV Health, we have developed algorithms that assist athletes to achieve their best, and our tests prove that they are effective. The way you exercise, and types of exercise has a profound impact on your health, and this is reflected in the HRV Health metrics. Read: Exercising with HRV
Can I use HRV to reverse the ageing process
Age is a disease to which everyone eventually succumbs. Like most other chronic conditions, HRV can be used to monitor and improve your state of health. How well you age is up to you. Read: Ageing, exercise, and HRV
I have a problem with stress. What should I do?
Stress kills! The HRV Health app measures stress, and by following our recommendations, you can lower your stress levels significantly. Read: Stress and HRV
Your privacy is critically important to us. At HRV Health AG, we have a few fundamental principles:
We are thoughtful about the personal information we ask you to provide and the personal information that we collect about you through the operation of our services.
We store personal information for only as long as we have a reason to keep it.
We aim to make it as simple as possible for you to control what information on your website is shared publicly (or kept private), indexed by search engines, and permanently deleted.
We help protect you from overreaching government demands for your personal information.
We aim for full transparency on how we gather, use, and share your personal information.
Below is our Privacy Policy, which incorporates and clarifies these principles.
Who We Are and What This Policy Covers
We are an organisation dedicated to helping clients to be their very best, every day. The most important person in this business is - you.
This Privacy Policy applies to information that we collect about you when you use:
Our website;
Our mobile application, and
Other users’ websites that use our Services, while you are logged in to your account with us.
Throughout this Privacy Policy we’ll refer to our website, mobile applications and other products and services collectively as “Services.”
Below we explain how we collect, use, and share information about you, along with the choices that you have with respect to that information.
Information We Collect
We only collect information about you if we have a reason to do so–for example, to provide our Services, to communicate with you, or to make our Services better.
We collect information in three ways: if and when you provide information to us, automatically through operating our Services, and from outside sources. Let’s go over the information that we collect.
Information You Provide to Us
It’s probably no surprise that we collect information that you provide to us. The amount and type of information depends on the context and how we use the information. Here are some examples:
Basic Account Information: We ask for basic information from you in order to set up your account. For example, we require individuals who sign up for a HRV Health AG account to provide a their name, a user ID, a password, their date of birth, language preference, country and email address. The email address and password form part of the security system. If the password is incorrect, it will not be possible for you to activate your account. The password is an important security measure for you.
Public Profile Information: None of the information that you provide to HRV Health AG constitutes public information. We’ll keep it that way.
Information We Collect Automatically
We also collect some information automatically:
Log Information: Like most online service providers, we collect information that web browsers, mobile devices, and servers typically make available, such as the IP address, unique device identifiers, the date and time of access We collect log information when you use our Services–for example, when you create or make changes to your data on HRV Health AG.
Location Information: We may determine the approximate location of your device from your IP address. This is part of the security system. Illegal activities follow patterns. Monitoring patterns of irregular activities, especially those from specific IP addresses allow us to offer an additional layer of protection.
Information from Cookies & Other Technologies: A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. We limit the use of cookies to one purpose, making your experience at HRV Health AG as pleasurable as possible. When we can avoid using cookies, we do.
How And Why We Use Information
Purposes for Using Information
We use information about you as mentioned above and for the purposes listed below:
To provide our Services;
To further develop and improve our Services;
To monitor and analyze trends and better understand how users interact with our Services, which helps us improve our Services and make them easier to use;
To monitor and prevent any problems with our Services, protect the security of our Services, detect and prevent fraudulent transactions and other illegal activities, and protect the rights and property of HRV Health AG and others, which may otherwise result in us declining a transaction or the use of our Services;
To communicate with you, for example through an email, about bikes that interest you, dealer responses to your requests for the models, sizes and and prices.;
Legal Bases for Collecting and Using Information
A note here for those in the European Union about our legal grounds for processing information about you under EU data protection laws, which is that our use of your information is based on the grounds that:
The use is necessary in order to fulfil our commitments to you under our Terms of Service or other agreements with you or is necessary to administer your requests–for example, in order to enable access to our website on your device; or
The use is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; or
The use is necessary in order to protect your vital interests or those of another person; or
We have a legitimate interest in using your information–for example, to provide and update our Services, to improve our Services so that we can offer you an even better user experience, to safeguard our Services, to communicate with you, and to prevent any problems with our Services, and to personalize your experience.
Sharing Information
How Long We Keep Information
We generally discard information about you when we no longer need the information for the purposes for which we obtained it–which are described in the section above on How and Why We Use Information–and we are not legally required to continue to keep it.
Security
While no online service is 100% secure, we work very hard to protect information about you against unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction, and take reasonable measures to do so, such as monitoring our Services for potential vulnerabilities and attacks.
Choices
You have several choices available when it comes to information about you:
Limit the Information that You Provide: If you are registered with us, you can choose not to provide the optional information Please keep in mind that if you do not provide this information, certain features of our Services–may be a little more complicated–for example the date of birth is used to create a unique user ID. If this information is your security is compromised, a little and only for this site. There are not purchases on the site, so the risk is small.
Opt-Out of Electronic Communications: You may opt out of receiving notifications of bijes that meet your interests, and responses from dealers at any time. We will still send you other messages, like legal notices and security concerns.
Set Your Browser to Reject Cookies: You can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject browser cookies before using HRV Health AG’s website, with the drawback that certain features of HRV Health AG’s website may not function properly without the aid of cookies.
Close Your Account: While we’d be very sad to see you go, if you no longer want to use our Services :( :( :( :(, you can close your HRV Health AG account. Please keep in mind that we may continue to retain your information after closing your account, as described in How Long We Keep Information above–for example, when that information is reasonably needed to comply with (or demonstrate our compliance with) legal obligations such as law enforcement requests, or reasonably needed for our legitimate business interests.
Your Rights
If you are located in certain countries, including those that fall under the scope of the European General Data Protection Regulation (AKA the “GDPR”), data protection laws give you rights with respect to your personal data, subject to any exemptions provided by the law, including the rights to:
Request access to your personal data;
Request correction or deletion of your personal data;
Object to our use and processing of your personal data;
Request that we limit our use and processing of your personal data; and
Request portability of your personal data.
You can usually access, correct, or delete your personal data using your account settings and tools that we offer, but if you aren’t able to do that, or you would like to contact us about one of the other rights, scroll down to How to Reach Us to, well, find out how to reach us.
EU individuals also have the right to make a complaint to a government supervisory authority.
How to Reach Us
If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, or you would like to contact us about any of the rights mentioned in the Your Rights section above, please contact us.
Other Things You Should Know (Keep Reading!)
Transferring Information
Because HRV Health AG’s Services are offered worldwide, the information about you that we process when you use the Services in the EU may be used, stored, and/or accessed by individuals operating outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who work for us, or third party data processors. This is required for the purposes listed in the How and Why We Use Information section above. When providing information about you to entities outside the EEA, we will take appropriate measures to ensure that the recipient protects your personal information adequately in accordance with this Privacy Policy as required by applicable law. These measures include:
In the case of US based entities, entering into European Commission approved standard contractual arrangements with them, or ensuring they have signed up to the EU-US Privacy Shield; or
In the case of entities based in other countries outside the EEA, entering into European Commission approved standard contractual arrangements with them.
You can ask us for more information about the steps we take to protect your personal information when transferring it from the EU.
Ads and Analytics Services Provided by Others
Ads appearing on any of our Services may be delivered by advertising networks. Other parties may also provide analytics services via our Services. These ad networks and analytics providers may set tracking technologies (like cookies) to collect information about your use of our Services and across other websites and online services. These technologies allow these third parties to recognize your device to compile information about you or others who use your device. This information allows us and other companies to, among other things, analyze and track usage, determine the popularity of certain content, and deliver advertisements that may be more targeted to your interests. Please note this Privacy Policy only covers the collection of information by HRV Health AG and does not cover the collection of information by any third party advertisers or analytics providers.
Privacy Policy Changes
Although most changes are likely to be minor, HRV Health AG may change its Privacy Policy from time to time. HRV Health AG encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. If we make changes, we will notify you by revising the change log below, and, in some cases, we may provide additional notice (such as adding a statement to our homepage or the HRV Health AG Blog, or sending you a notification through email or your dashboard). Your further use of the Services after a change to our Privacy Policy will be subject to the updated policy.
That’s it! Thanks for reading.
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HRV Health AG
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CHE-178.678.016
Management:
Roy Reto Dalle Vedove
Address:
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Telephone:
+41 79 87 27 875
Email:
info@hrvhealth.org
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You must be registered to submit a support request.
The Registration ID required to submit a support request is included in the details in the email sent to you on registration.
Heart rate variability Standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use
The phenomenon that is the focus of this report is the oscillation in the interval between consecutive heart beats as well as the oscillations between consecutive instantaneous heart rates. ‘Heart Rate Variability’ has become the conventionally accepted term to describe variations of both instantaneous heart rate and RR intervals. In order to describe oscillation in consecutive cardiac cycles, other terms have been used in the litera- ture, for example cycle length variability, heart period variability, RR variability and RR interval tachogram, and they more appropriately emphasize the fact that it is the interval between consecutive beats that is being analysed rather than the heart rate per se. However, these terms have not gained as wide acceptance as HRV, thus we will use the term HRV in this document.
Task Force of The European Society of Cardiology, The North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology
Measurement of Heart Rate Variability: A Clinical Tool or a Research Toy?
Before the measurement of HR variability can be applied to clinical practice and used to direct therapy, more precise insight into the pathophysiological link between HR variability and mortality are needed. Further studies should also address the issue of which of the HR variability indexes, including the new nonlinear measures, is best for clinical purposes in various patient populations.
Heikki V. Huikuri, Timo Ma ̈kikallio, K. E. Juhani Airaksinen, Raul Mitrani, Agustin Castellanos, Robert J. Myerburg
It has been adduced from these studies that this clustering of social or life events achieves etiologic significance as a necessary but not sufficient cause of illness and accounts in part for the time of onset of disease. Methodologically, the interview or questionnaire technique used in these studies
has yielded only the number and types of events making up the cluster. Some estimate of the magnitude of these events is now required to bring greater precision to this area of research and to provide a quantitative basis for new epidemiological studies of diseases. This report defines a method which achieves this requisite.
Reduced Heart Rate Variability and New-Onset Hypertension
HRV is reduced in men and women with systemic hypertension. Among normotensive men, lower HRV was associated with greater risk for developing hypertension. Estimation of LF using spectral analysis of ambulatory ECG recordings improves the prediction of risk of hypertension in men above that which can be obtained from measurements of baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressures, body mass index, and age. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that autonomic dysregulation is present in the early stage of hypertension.
Jagmeet P. Singh, Martin G. Larson, Hisako Tsuji, Jane C. Evans, Christopher J. O’Donnell, Daniel Levy
Short-Term Heart Rate Variability—Influence of Gender and Age in Healthy Subjects
Furthermore, there were significant modifications according to age in nearly all of the domains. The gender differences disappeared within the last two age decades and the age dependencies disappeared in the last decade. To summarize gender and age influences need to be considered when performing HRV studies even if these influences only partly differ.
Andreas Voss,Rico Schroeder,Andreas Heitmann,Annette Peters,Siegfried Perz
Twenty-Four Hour Time Domain Heart Rate Variability and Heart Rate: Relations to Age and Gender Over Nine Decades
Conclusions. 1) Using all measures, HRV of healthy subjects declines with aging, with measure-dependent patterns. 2) Using the SDNN index, rMSSD and pNN50, HRV of healthy subjects, particularly those >65 years old, may decrease to below levels associated with increased risk of mortality. 3) Gender influences HRV. Gender differences in HRV are age and measure dependent. 4) Age and gender also affect heart rate.
KEN UMETANI MD,DONALD H. SINGER MD FACC, ROLLIN MCCRATY MS, MIKE ATKINSON
Resting Pulse Rate Reference Data for Children, Adolescents, and Adults: United States, 1999–2008
Conclusions—The data provides current, updated population-based percentiles of RPR, which is one of the key vital signs routinely measured in clinical practice.
Yechiam Ostchega Ph.D. R.N., Kathryn S. Porter M.D. M.S., Jeffery Hughes M.P.H., Charles F. Dillon M.D. Ph.D., Tatiana Nwankwo M.S
Low Heart Rate Variability in a 2-Minute Rhythm Strip Predicts Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality From Several Causes The ARIC Study
Low HRV was associated with increased risk of CHD and death from several causes. It is hypothesized that low HRV is a marker of less favorable health.
Jacqueline M. Dekker, PhD; Richard S. Crow, MD; Aaron R. Folsom, MD, MPH; Peter J. Hannan, MStat; Duanping Liao, MD, PhD;Cees A. Swenne, PhD; Evert G. Schouten, MD, PhD
An Overview of Heart Rate variability Metrics and Norms
The authors survey published normative values for clinical, healthy, and optimal performance populations. They stress the importance of measurement context, including recording period length, subject age, and sex, on baseline HRV values. They caution that 24 h, short-term, and ultra-short-term normative values are not interchangeable. They encourage professionals to supplement published norms with findings from their own specialized populations. Finally, the authors provide an overview of HRV assessment strategies for clinical and optimal performance interventions.
This Social Readjustment Rating Scale was created by Thomas Holmes & Richard Rahe, University of Washington School of Medicine, in the late 1960s to provide a standardized measure of the impact of a wide range of common stressors.
Using the Scale
To use the scale, simply add up the values for all of the listed life events that have occurred to you within the past year. If a particular event has happened to you more than once within the last 12 months, multiply the value by the number of occurrences. Enter your value total at the end of the list.
The Scale
Each life event is assigned a value in arbitrary “life changing units” chosen to reflect the relative amount of stress the event causes in the population studied. Stress is cumulative, so to estimate the total stress you are experiencing, add up the values corresponding to the events that have occurred in your life over the past year.
Effects of age and physical activity on the autonomic control of heart rate in healthy men
The interaction between aging and life-style effects had a P < 0.05. These results suggest that aging reduces HR variability. However, regular physical activity positively affects vagal activity on the heart and consequently attenuates the effects of aging in the autonomic control of HR.
R C Melo, M D B Santos, E Silva, R J Quitério, M A Moreno, M S Reis, I A Verzola, L Oliveira, L E B Martins, L Gallo-Junior, A M Catai
Heart-rate variability: a biomarker to study the influence of nutrition on physiological and psychological health?
Aspects of diet that are viewed as undesirable, for example high intakes of saturated or trans-fat and high glycaemic carbohydrates, have been found to reduce HRV. It is argued that the consistent relationship between HRV, health and morbidity supports the view that HRV has the potential to become a widely used biomarker when considering the influence of diet on mental and physical health.
An Overview of Heart Rate Variability Metrics and Norms
The authors survey published normative values for clinical, healthy, and optimal performance populations. They stress the importance of measurement context, including recording period length, subject age, and sex, on baseline HRV values. They caution that 24 h, short-term, and ultra-short-term normative values are not interchangeable. They encourage professionals to supplement published norms with findings from their own specialized populations. Finally, the authors provide an overview of HRV assessment strategies for clinical and optimal performance interventions.
Possible mechanisms of sudden cardiac death in top athletes: a basic cardiac electrophysiological point of view
Unless autopsy findings establish the exact cause of sudden cardiac death in an athlete beyond any doubt, the reasons should be sought in repolarization abnormalities rather than in an unconfirmed ischemic origin. Accordingly, more attention should be paid to noninvasive cardiac electrophysiological investigations during preventive sports medicine activities and to the theoretical and practical cardiac electrophysiological postgraduate training of sports doctors. Importantly, unexpected and unexplained syncopes in the anamnesis of athletes should be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.
Underlying Medical Conditions and Severe Illness Among 540,667 Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19, March 2020–March 2021
Among 4,899,447 hospitalized adults in PHD-SR, 540,667 (11.0%) were patients with COVID-19, of whom 94.9% had at least 1 underlying medical condition. Essential hypertension (50.4%), disorders of lipid metabolism (49.4%), and obesity (33.0%) were the most common. The strongest risk factors for death were obesity (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.27–1.33), anxiety and fear-related disorders (aRR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.25–1.31), and diabetes with complication (aRR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.24–1.28), as well as the total number of conditions, with aRRs of death ranging from 1.53 (95% CI, 1.41–1.67) for patients with 1 condition to 3.82 (95% CI, 3.45–4.23) for patients with more than 10 conditions (compared with patients with no conditions).
Kompaniyets L, Pennington AF, Goodman AB, Rosenblum HG, Belay B, Ko JY, et al.
Comparing SARS-CoV-2 natural immunity to vaccine-induced immunity: reinfections versus breakthrough infections
This study demonstrated that natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity. Individuals who were both previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and given a single dose of the vaccine gained additional protection against the Delta variant.
healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart's anatomy and heart rate variability
The authors conclude that a coherent heart is not a metronome because its rhythms are characterized by both complexity and stability over longer time scales. Future research should expand understanding of how the heart and its intrinsic nervous system influence the brain.
Hypertension and physical exercise: The role of oxidative stress
Physical exercise and especially aerobic training can be suggested as an effective intervention in the prevention and treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular disease via reduction in oxidative stress.
RESTING HEART RATE VARIABILITY AS A POSSIBLE MARKER OF COGNITIVE DECLINE
Significant correlations in each cognitive function were found, except for processing speed, suggesting a positive association between resting HRV and cognitive performance. Mechanisms underlying this association between cardiovascular health and cognition are discussed. For the future, HRV could be used in diagnostics as an indicator of cognitive impairment before symptoms of dementia get apparent. With a timely diagnosis, preventative tools could be initiated at an early stage of dementia.
Bernhard Grässler, Anita Hökelmann, Richard Halti Cabral
With the measurement of the ECG (1895) and advent of digital signal processing techniques in the 1960s, investigation of HRV and its relationship to health and disease has exploded. This essay will conclude with a brief description of time domain, frequency domain, and non-linear dynamic analysis techniques (and their limitations) that are commonly used to measure HRV.
Heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR) that are clinically proven metrics of health status and fitness.
Using HRV Health's iOS and Android apps, allows users to measure their health every day.
The HRV Health free user services include:
Measurement of HRV
Measurement of RHR
Measurement of physiological and cognitive stress
HRSS Stress tests
Data screens and and graphs showing trends
User data downloads via email
HRV status level to the user's insurers (only with the user's permission)
Screen access for user's doctors and family (only with the user's permission)
Note: The user's permission for data sharing with their insurer is only permitted once the user enters their insurance membership number onto the HRV platform.
Screen access to doctor and family is fully within the user's control, and once granted, can be instantly revoked by the user at any time.
The basic service to Health Insurers includes:
API giving access to the result data for their policyholders who have granted permission for their data to be provides to the insurer
Validation of policyholder policy number when granting approval
The premium service to Health Insurers includes:
API giving access to the result data for their policyholders who have granted permission for their data to be provides to the insurer
Validation of policyholder policy number when granting approval
Alerts to insurers of policyholders who are in breach of HRV policy rules
Alerts to policyholders when they are in breach of HRV policy rules
Alerts to policyholders when their health status or fitness level puts them at risk od losing HRV Health policy benefits
Statistics of HRV & RHR trends among policyholders
Statistics of HRV & RHR trends among policyholder groups
Bespoke analysis of policyholder data
The objective of the pilot study is to conduct a trial during which the insurer can see the benefits of HRV Health.
Methodology
The insurer provides a group of volunteers (participants) who will use the HRV systems for a one month period
The insurer provides each participants with a Polar H10 heart rate monitor (HRM)
Each participant registers on the HRV Platform (the platform) and including registering their HRM device ID
Each participant installs the HRV Health app (the app) on their mobile device, and registers their HRM device ID on the app
Readings take approximately three minutes each mornings before eating, drinking any beverage, or any activity
For the duration of the field study (the duration), participants will take HRV readings daily, following best practice
Participants who fail to take readings daily will receive reminders
The insurer will receive notification of participants who fail to take daily readings
Reports
After one week, HRV Health will provide the insurer with a report, setting out details of the relative health and fitness of each of the participants
On completion of the field study, HRV Health will provide the insurer with a report setting out details of improvement/ deterioration in the health and fitness of each of the participants, and whether they are maintaining a healthy lifestyle
After providing the report, HRV Health will obtain confirmation from the participants of the accuracy of their findings, and provide this feedback to the insurer
Cost
The cost of the HRMs is for the insurer
The one month field is offered free of charge
Extended field studies of more than one month will be chargeable, at negotiable rates
The literature guidance to employees of corporate users includes:
Providing links to to HRV Health blogs that answers the user's question
Providing research literature that explains the science behind HRV
Answering user questions about data issues
The user feedback to employees of corporate users includes:
Reviewing requests from users to look at their data and provide assistance in understanding the data
Capacity building through user interaction, providing them with explanations on interpreting the graphs and data
Providing links to to HRV Health blogs that answers the user's question
Providing research literature that explains the science behind HRV
Answering user questions about data issues
Training corporate HRV specialists includes:
Training two corporate HRV specialists how to interpret HRV results and support users
Providing the specialists with guidance on unusual results
Training the specialists on how to communicate findings to users
Providing links to to HRV Health blogs that answers the specialists questions
Providing research literature that explains the science behind HRV
Answering specialists queries resolving user questions about data issues
HRV Health Team
Meet the team:
The founder: Roy Reto Dalle Vedove BAcc MBA
Roy is a forensic accountant specialising in big data. He spent a good deal of his career developing algorithms, particularly in insurance, that enriched his clients.
On moving to Switzerland, he discovered that not only is health insurance mandatory and exorbitant, it does not follow the basic insurance principle that higher risk carries a higher premium.
To say that Roy is low risk is understatement. He cycles daily, and has the resting heart rate (RHR) of an athlete, just below 40bpm.
Early in 2020, he started a conversation with his health insurer about using RHR to categorise the risk profile of policyholders. They agreed. Nothing happened.
Then he discovered heart rate variability (HRV). At first it started as an academic exercise. The research uncovered that HRV has been used for decades as a health measure, and that the international standards for the metrics were established in 1996.
His own experience with HRV and RHR proved that the efficacy of the technology.
“We have the data to determine which percentile of health and fitness a person is in, relative to the population.” he says.
Now he’s talking to health insurers globally about using RHR and HRV to reward customers who adopt a healthy lifestyle.
When asked what he’ll do if the insurers don’t employ the idea, he’s coy. “We have a plan B”.
Healthcare costs
ID
Feature
Benefit
Link
1
Users can give their doctors real-time access to the user's ECG readings
No matter where the user is, their doctor can instantly see their patient's heart condition.
Members can subscribe to special healthcare insurance policies that reward them for positive lifestyle choices.
Policyholders can significantly reduce their health insurance costs through proactive health insurance policies that reward them for lifestyle choices that their HRV and RHR data confirm is leading to improved health.
Medical professionals, health insurers, family members and friends who are granted the user's permission can view the users data.
Medical professionals and health insurers can see trends and provide informed advice.
Friends and family members can observe how the user is progressing, especially when they suffer from a chronic condition, or are recovering from a severe illness, providing much needed support.
User can see their stress levels, and can take steps to ameliorate stress by exercising, listening to music, having a massage, doing pilates or yoga, having for a walk, or going on holiday.
Users have visual feedback of the support that they have from friends and family, whether they are working towards a healthier lifestyle, or recovering from illness.
HRV Health is able to place the user's health and fitness results into percentiles of the population.
Users have a solid basis on which to compare their results. Health insurers have a yardstick by which they can calculate reward systems for policyholders who adopt a healthy lifestyle.
User's have a complete list of all the people whose data they have been granted access to view.
Medical professionals, family members, friends and health insurers can view the results of people whom they care about, or who are under their professional care.
The user can request to be alerted when trends develop that require attention.
Users are automatically alerted when their data reveals issues that need attention. Health insurers will also be alerted that their policyholders require intervention.
Health professionals and insurers who are granted access can see which percentile the user falls, providing a real assessment of the users health and fitness.
Health insurers are able to see that their policy holder are taking active steps to a healthier life, and can reward them accordingly.
User can export all their data and have it automatically sent to themselves.
Allows user to retain an independent record of HRV data and results. Data can be sent to doctors and independent professionals for assessment. This allows users to import their data into the Kubios application.
There are graphs of the user's HRV, Poincaré plot, health, stress, and ECG.
Users have graphs of the trends in their critical HRV data, providing them with a visual representation of the data, making it easy to see the progress they are making, and identify events affected their health.
Extra Readings can be retained, while being removed from the data that is used to assess trends, preventing anomalies from distorting the results and trends.
The is a simple app manual to guide users through setting up the communication between the app, the heart rate monitor, and the HRV Health platform.
The app is simple, but accomplishes the complex task of obtaining the raw HRV data from the Polar H10 heart rate monitor, and then uploading it to the platform. Setting the devices so that taking readings is simple and secure requires that the setup is done properly. The manual guides users through this, making it a painless exercise.
People who have been given access to view their client or patient's data can save and print and save the data in PDF form
Professionals who are required to maintain records can easily produce a complete report of their patient/ client's data for their records, or for later review.
User can produce a complete list of their readings in PDF format.
The complete PDf report of reading allows users to review their results. They can print the report and/or send the results to their medical specialist/doctor.
Allows user to determine whether reading is taken in calm state. Changes are indicators of a change in health. Together with HRV, increases in respiration rate can indicate health concerns.
Useful measure for athletes to detemine high fitness levels. This requires that the user has collected more than 20 readings before it produces realistic results.
A comprehensive user manual is available for download.
Users are able to read about all of the functionality at leisure, without having to worry that anything they might do will impact the security and integrity of their data.
User can test their stress levels using the SRRS life change units scale
The tests allow users to establish whether events in their life have the potential of causing life changing illness. The tests also allows users to determine whether events in the past have had a major impact on their health at that time.
Allows the user to email a themself a destop icon which they can use for auto login removing the need to type in their credentials and speeding up access to the system.
Group data permits analysis of data at a group level. Teams, companies, and friends can form groups. Analysis of data can be assessed across the group.
User can hide reading that have results they would prefer not to see.
When a user has a little too much alcohol the night before, this is reflected in the HRV reading. To avoid skipping the reading (which happens) we've now allowed users to hide readings they prefer not to see. That way they still have the data, but not a constant reminder of succumbing to temptation.
Health professionals and insurers who are granted access can see which percentile the user falls, providing a real assessment of the users health and fitness.
I've been interested in HRV for some years now but have struggled to find a solution that is cost effective, non-proprietary and one that provides accurate and detailed information to help me take actionable steps to improve my health. Most solutions available on the market are focused on fitness, exercise and training, whereas my interests are much wider than this. The HRV system from HRVHealth.org gives me just that.
The HRV system from HRVHealth.org gives me just that. I am able to use my Polar H10 heart rate strap to take daily readings, receiving immediate feedback regarding my HRV score for the day along with lots of other useful, related information such as my stress levels and how my readings compare to the wider population averages. It also allows me to record useful notes so that I can look back on readings and recognise patterns in lifestyle habits and how they impact on my HRV score. It provides an invaluable insight into my health and is a key tool in my 'wellness' armoury!
Paul
2021-10-07 12:54:04
2
Being interested in my own health and wellness I was keen to learn how HRV might provide new insights. Using the HRV Health app has given me more and different data to learn about myself. I’ve found that looking at my average HRV scores, stress index metrics and thinking about my overall health has already helped inform my choices about training and lifestyle.
Glenda
2021-10-04 06:42:54
3
As an amateur athlete I have found HRV to be an invaluable tool in monitoring my health and well-being. After the initial setup, pairing and taking the reading is fast and simple. The data is easy to understand and the results give me another level of information on whether or not I’ll be in a great place to push myself. An additional bonus is, being highly competitive, I understand the decisions I make effect the HRV results so am constantly questioning the lifestyle decisions I make. I believe HRV Health is an invaluable resource in documenting my health through heart rate variability and look forward to the long term outcomes.
Pete
2021-10-04 19:06:11
4
Sonntag 22.1.2023
Ende Dezember 2021 suchte ich, um meine Leistungen als Ausdauersportler zu verbessern ,eine App.Ich fand dann diese HRV Health App von Roy.Am Anfang war ich sehr skeptisch, denn einmal war der RMSSD extrem hoch dann wieder sehr tief. Das gleiche mit Ratio,etc. , obwohl ich mich immer gleich gut fühlte.
Ich bekam immer wieder von der App die Meldung : Bitte Spezialist kontaktieren.
Am Anfang dachte ich die App sei nicht gut.Trotzdem habe ich dann diverse Male das Problem mit Roy(HRV Spezialist) besprochen. Bin dann schlussendlich im Mai 2022 zum Herzspezialist/Kardiologen gegangen, der tatsachlich Herzprobleme feststellte. Im Sommer 2022 wurden mir dann 2 Stents implantiert.
Seit Dezember 2022 bin ich wieder als Ausdauersportler voll aktiv .
Ich habe das Entdecken meiner Herzprobleme der HRV Health App und Roy's Hilfe zu verdanken.
Ich benütze diese App weiter täglich zur Kontrolle .
Mit grossem Dank ..
Arthur
arthur
2023-01-22 14:56:03
5
Très bonne application qui permet de voir son état de fatigue et de stress.
Un bon indicateur de la forme physique et du status de la récupération.
Utilisé jour après jour afin de savoir quand lever le pied.
Site riche en documentations, très instructif avec un blog très pertinent.
Du Swiss made, simplement excellent.
Stan
stan
2023-02-19 19:06:39
6
Sunday January 22, 2023 At the end of December 2021 I was looking for an app to improve my performance as an endurance athlete. I found HRV Health app. At first I was very skeptical because the RMSSD was extremely high and then very low again. The same with ratio, etc. , even though always felt well. I regularly received the messages from the app: Please contact a specialist. At first I thought there was a problem with the app. Nevertheless, I discussed the problem with Roy (HRV specialist) several times. I finally went to the heart specialist/cardiologist in May 2022, who actually diagnosed heart problems. In the summer of 2022, I had 2 stents implanted. I am fully active again as an endurance athlete since December 2022. I credit the HRV Health app and Roy's help for discovering my heart problems. I continue to use this app every day to check. Many thanks.. Arthur
