Heart Rate Variability | Ai Doctor
Heart rate variability (HRV)
The heart is the key to the functioning of your life. Without a good heart, you wouldn’t be alive! Everyone knows heart rate is the beating of your heart. But what is all the buzz about heart rate variability?
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation in the time it takes for your heart to beat again. Heart rate variability does not operate like the systematic rhythm of the clock. Variation in heart rate is a sign of good health. In 1970, heart rate variability is used to diagnose neuropathy (nerve damage) in patients with diabetes. Practitioners associate lower death rates with higher heart rate variability. HRV measures cardiovascular strength.
During a doctor’s visit, blood pressure and heart rate are measured. Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to parts of your body. Blood pressure is a ratio (e.g., 120/80 mmHg). The first number is the pressure in your arteries as your heart beats. The second number is how often your heart rests between beats. Heart rate is the number of beats per minute.
Blood pressure and heart rate are a snapshot of your health at that moment. HRV shows a complete picture of your circulation over a while.
You can manage stress better if you have higher cardiovascular strength. HRV will change over time as you change your lifestyle to live healthier. HRV indicates your mind and body respond to your daily experiences.
We are not aware of heart rate variability in our daily lives. Measure your HRV by inhaling and exhaling and touching the pulse on your wrist. Your heartbeats vary if you take longer breaths versus shorter breaths. Heart rate variability is tracked in heart rate monitors. It shows how fast your heart beats when you exercise. It shows how your body reacts to hormonal responses, metabolic breakdowns, cognitive functions, sleep patterns, and muscle recovery.
Heart rate variability is connected to our fight or flight response and rest or digestive systems. In other words, these are controlled by the autonomic nervous system (parasympathetic and sympathetic systems), which activates stress hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol makes the heart pump harder. This causes a decrease in HRV. This happens in highly stressful situations. Have you ever felt all the blood rush to your head in a highly stressful situation? Variability is less. The parasympathetic system will signal your body to calm down. This happens after stressful situations or workouts, resulting in higher HRV. The nervous system allows your heart to adapt to environments.
Why is Heart rate variability HRV an important part of overall health? What recommendations are there for staying in the optimal range?
Heart rate variability HRV will increase or decrease during the day; this is a sign of natural heart variability. It can be an indicator of health if a person is in a high state of stress causing a low variability rate. Cortisol levels rise when stress happens. High cortisol levels longer term can cause an imbalance in glucose in the bloodstream. This causes an increase in the ability of your tissues not to be able to recover. Chronic stress puts your life at risk. It can manifest as a constant high state of anxiety, depression, headaches, digestive issues, sleep problems, weight gain, concentration impairment, high blood pressure, and repeated strokes. These symptoms can ultimately lead to heart disease.
HRV also is an indicator of a variety of different illnesses. It is important to have your HRV checked. It is an early warning sign of disease. Healthy HRV induces a long life. Fitness experts can also use HRV to analyze performance during training. Also to monitor changes in body composition. Healthy HRV adapts to the environment by controlling stress levels. Suggestions to reduce stress are including humor in your life, writing your thoughts down of gratitude, practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga, and taking regular cold showers.
If you are searching for heart rate variability test near me or HRV test near me, we invite you to come to our Ai Doctor headquarters located in Orange County, in the city of Anaheim, and see for yourself all the health metrics it offers!