What Is HRV (Heart Rate Variability)? 5 Ways to Improve It

HRV - Heart Rate Variability

The WHOOP Strap utilizes HRV, along with other factors to assess readiness and recovery. If athletes understand these two variables, then they can strategically train without overreaching and burning out.

Interested in WHOOP and want to save $30 on a membership? Use the code "BarBend" at checkout to save $30!

This video is presented in paid partnership with WHOOP, a technology company dedicated to unlocking human potential.

0:54 - What Is HRV (Heart Rate Variability)? HRV Explained

HRV is the time variability exists between heart beats. This variation creates a number that relates to autonomic nervous system health.

The autonomic nervous system includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which interact with one another in an acute and day-to-day basis.

Sympathetic = Fight or Flight Responses
Parasympathetic = Rest and Digest Responses

If these two nervous systems are highly responsive, then an athlete will typically have a higher HRV. And if there’s an imbalance, then HRV will be lower.

It’s important to remember that high and low HRV numbers are related to one’s norm, and there is no clear-cut perfect equation for assessing what is “high” and “low” for everyone.

What Can Affect HRV?

There are multiple factors that can affect HRV. Some of these include,

-Genetics
-Age
-Environment
-Sex
-Diet
-Overall Health

Like training and diet, HRV should be taken into the context of one’s lifestyle, overall training goals, and daily habits.

How WHOOP Uses HRV

WHOOP accounts for the different HRV factors above learns from your body the more you use it. This allows WHOOP’s algorithm to better illustrate your readiness and recovery.

When first using a WHOOP Strap, activity levels and recovery needs are compared to those of the same age, sex, and activity level. Then after about four days, WHOOP will begin to learn and adapt to your own physiology, which helps with understanding what’s considered normal for your performance.

To assess recovery needs and training readiness, WHOOP compiles daily strain and workout strain, then relates these strains to how much recovery and sleep an individual needs to get by, perform, or peak.

Within the WHOOP app, there is a graph that presents daily strain in accordance to undertraining, optimal training, and overreaching. This is a useful system to help athletes avoid overreaching and setting themselves back due to burnout.

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Google: BarBend + What Is HRV?

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[erikknudsen]

Last week I woke up to a crazy low hrv and recovery score of 1%. I thought it was wrong until I started feeling really bad in the afternoon. Then whatever was going on hit hard that night - straight up food poisoning! It's kinda crazy wearing a whoop.

[hornsteinhof]

I have amazing sleep scores, have eaten clean for years, don't drink or smoke, exercise moderately to often. My HRV is that of a dying 80 year old. Switched the tracker with my gf, who doesn't to jack shit for her health and has a candy-focussed diet, doesn't exercise. HRV is 200 ms and RHR at 52 :D

Yeah, it's not comparable, but I've been trying for some time to improve my HRV to no avail. Best I can get is about 30 ms.

[sarahb.]

This probably explains why my HRV score is so low most of the time: my sleep is bad. I had 27 interruptions last night (woke up 27 times) and this tends to go on every night too. Most nights i wake up 21 times. Sometimes its only 19 times. It seems to be connected to my connective tissue disorder (EDS) so my HRV score is generally around 35. If i do absolutely nothing i can sometimes bring it up to 49 or 50. The weird thing is i am physically fit, have a resting heart rate of 55 when i am awake (at night when asleep it goes down to 47 or 49) and i can walk a half marathon. Between my Rem sleep and Deep sleep i only get 36 % of my sleep. Mostly its light sleep.

[jackleonard]

Really high quality and elucidating video, Thanks Jake.

[darrylstanley]

Always good content. I wonder if Jake could talk if his hands were tied behind his back 😝

[tyman]

What I have learned is that the more irregular the heartbeat, the better, because the HRV is high! Is it true?

[megiMove]

Can u use ur whoop in the sauna ? I've been using my garmin 945 lte and got the whoop as well. Ive been sock, but the first day i was feeling 100% my HRV was 146. I felt super ready !

[adreadinhell]

I'm sure he's a nice guy and he knows his stuff, but ill never forget the video where he put straps on wrong.

[Latte_Guitar]

Bruh I wanna give a shout out to 5 million products before starting the video brah bro bruh

[longboardMoe]

I know your video is sponsored by whoop. But can you give me your honest opinion on the whoop band. I am a normal guy doing strength training twice a week, Olympic weightlifting once and some kind of crossfit once or maybe a wod as a finisher after my strength days. Otherwise I am working a normal 9-5 job and kind of active in the spare time with my wife. I have personal goals in my sport but no real I need to be fit for this or that event. Here comes my question. Is the whoop band really helpful for a normal Everyday Joe? I don't know yet if it gives me a benefit. Thank you in advance. Cheers from Germany 🇩🇪

[romehashhouseharriershhh]

"Read and digest"' ? I thought it was "rest".

[CycleSafeDubai]

I've watched a few reviews on the product. All very good with explanations and information. What's annoying is your discount code isn't working. I was hoping that the 2 i got sent from Whoop would, but they don't either. Not a good next step to getting one when this and their customer service is very lax.
Great video from you anyway.

[snookywilliams]

Hey WTH . How can you look through sleep like that?? My Whoop Sleep screen works Nothing like the 1 I see here WTF