Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the changes in speed between the heartbeat and the heart rate. It can reflect the state of human nervous system and cardiovascular function, and is also related to the level of emotional stress.
HRV has a wide range of applications in the medical field. It can help doctors diagnose and monitor cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc. It can also be used to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of drugs, as well as to monitor the recovery of patients after surgery.
What ways can HRV be improved?
1. Exercise
Moderate exercise can enhance the health of the autonomic nervous system and increase HRV. Common sports include running, cycling, swimming, etc.
2. Reduce stress
Reducing emotional stress that may be encountered in daily life through relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation can also help improve HRV.
3. Healthy diet
Consuming rich and diverse, balanced nutrition, and reducing processed and high sugar foods can improve heart health, thereby increasing HRV.
4. Adequate sleep
Insufficient sleep can lead to the body being in a sustained state of stress, reducing HRV. Maintaining high-quality sleep of 7-8 hours per night is important for improving HRV.
By adopting the above methods to improve HRV, if you want to verify its effectiveness, you can do the following:
1. Mobile App
Download the “Heart Rate” or “AFibCheck” app, open the app, press your finger tightly against the camera, click “Start”, and the results will be obtained in 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Smart Watch/Bracelet
Nowadays, most smartwatches/bracelets can monitor HRV, with ECG watches/bracelets having higher monitoring accuracy. ECG watches generally use PPG+ECG technology, which is relatively more accurate than PPG.
3. Heart rate band
Heart rate bands (such as Plus1Health Sleep Recorder) can also monitor HRV, and compared to the above two methods, their monitoring data has the highest accuracy.
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