HRV can be a useful tool for understanding your general preparedness and adaptability. “While you can measure your heart rate by using your fingers to measure your pulse, [unfortunately] You wouldn’t be able to measure your heart rate variability without a device that can clearly measure your electrical activity from your heart,” Twiman says.
Here are some key ideas you can take advantage of by keeping track of your heart rate fluctuations:
Athletic performance and overtraining: HRV has always been recommended as a tool To warn against overtraining and to improve performance in athletes of all levels4. Some HRV monitors even send you notifications when you push them too far, which can help prevent injury and stress.
the disease: A downward trend in HRV can indicate that you are not getting enough sleep, or that your immune system is weak. “A decrease in heart rate variability is sometimes an early warning sign that you’re about to get sick,” Twiman emphasizes.
Stress: Research suggests that fleeting stressful moments, such as making time-sensitive decisions, public speaking, or taking exams, can occur. Significant decrease in HRV5. Monitoring your HRV gives you more awareness during these situations, so that you can research them properly Tools to deal with this acute stress.
“There are no significant risks or downsides to measuring your heart rate variability,” Twiman stresses. However, note that your HRV is very personal, and it is always better to compare it to for you Baseline, versus someone else’s baseline.
Corielos agrees, saying, “Heart rate variability can be a good tool to help measure your health—but just like any other tool, it should be used with caution.” “While there is no risk in HRV monitoring, the information should be checked for accuracy, depending on device use (some more reliable than others), and the information should be placed in the context of the full clinical picture.”
If you have any concerns about your heart health or the data you are seeing from a wearable tracker, it is always best to consult your doctor.
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