You regularly hit your weekly exercise goals (Active Zone Minutes, anyone?), log your physical activity with exercise modes on your Fitbit watch, and pay attention to your sleep patterns with Fitbit\u2019s advanced sleep tools. You know that your Fitbit tracker or smartwatch can help you dial into key metrics, like your resting heart rate\u2014and you may have even improved yours last year, like many other Fitbit users. But did you know that heart rate isn\u2019t the only important metric to track when it comes to your well-being, heart, and overall health?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Your Heart Rate Variability, or HRV, can tell you even more about how your body is handling physical strain, and, if you experience a significant drop, whether your body is showing potential signs of the onset of illness. Keep reading to find out how\u2014and why it\u2019s so important.<\/p>\n
What is HRV, and why do we measure it?<\/h2>\n
Heart rate variability is the time between your heartbeats, and it can change from night to night. For example, your heart rate may be telling you that your heart is beating at 60 beats per minute, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s beating once every second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To get a little more technical than we usually do, the actual variance in time between heartbeats\u2014down to milliseconds\u2014is the variability. Calculated during deep sleep, HRV can be used as a measure of recovery. According to the Harvard Health <\/em>blog, <\/em>measuring it can tell you about your physical resilience and ability to perform at high levels\u2014i.e., how readily your body can transition from rest to activity and back.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harvard Health <\/em>tells us that your HRV is controlled by a part of the body called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Essentially, your ANS regulates normal bodily functions like heart rate, of course, but also things like breathing, blood pressure, digestion, and more. It is divided into the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems, or as you might know them\u2014\u201dfight-or-flight\u201d (sympathetic) versus \u201crest and digest\u201d (parasympathetic) responses.<\/p>\n If your ANS is functioning normally (balanced between \u201cfight- or-flight\u201d and \u201crest and digest\u201d modes), it receives all kinds of information from the region of your brain called the hypothalamus, and you won\u2019t even notice as it keeps your body working day in and day out. It\u2019s when the balance in your ANS is disrupted that your body\u2019s fight-or-flight mode may overcompensate, resulting in a lower HRV..\u00a0<\/p>\n In general, a higher average HRV is linked to greater overall health and fitness. A significant drop in your HRV can have many causes, including a poor night\u2019s sleep, physical strain, diet, or being emotionally or physically stressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Again, a significant drop in your HRV may mean that your body is in fight-or-flight mode, so look to see if your HRV has been trending downward over multiple nights. You could also just be in a normal recovery phase after some intense workouts!\u00a0<\/p>\n But, if that\u2019s the case, you guessed it\u2014your lower HRV is letting you know that your body is in need of rest. You may want to consider prioritizing recovery to bounce back from potential overtraining, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, psychological stress, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n Your HRV trends are available in the Fitbit app on Fitbit Sense, Versa 2 and 3, Charge 4, Inspire 2, and Luxe devices. You\u2019ll want to pay special attention to the days that your HRV is out of your personal range, specifically on low days.\u00a0<\/p>\n Interested in learning more? Check out the Health Metrics dashboard.* You can find out more about how it works here.<\/p>\n *The Health Metrics dashboard and the metrics displayed in the dashboard are not available in all countries. Not intended for medical purposes. This feature is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and should not be relied on for any medical purposes. It is intended to provide information that can help you manage your well-being.<\/em><\/p>\n This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tKimia Madani is an Editor at Fitbit and a lover of all things wellness. Other passions include random dance parties, cold brew coffee, browsing used bookstores, and creating content that changes people\u2019s lives for the better. When she\u2019s not managing the blog at Fitbit, traveling, or planning her next adventure, Kimia is busy doing yoga, collecting crystals, and getting her steps in while trekking the colorful hills of San Francisco.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\nWhat does it mean if my HRV is lower than my typical range?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Where can you find your HRV?<\/h2>\n
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\tKimia Madani\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n
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