Heart Rate Variability (HRV): What Is It & How Can It Improve My Well-Being?
Our thoughts and emotions affect our hearts magnetic field.
Did you know the human heart’s magnetic field can be measured several feet away from the physical body? The heart is much more than a pump that sustains our life. It is such a fascinating organ with so much to still be learned about. In this article we will mostly be covering Heart Rate Variability also known as HRV and the coherence state of the heart with the rest of the body. Numerous studies have provided evidence that coherence training consisting of intentional activation of positive and calming emotions paired with HRV feedback facilitates significant improvements in wellness and well-being indicators in a variety of populations (McCraty & Zayas, 2014). Lets dive deeper…
What is Heart Rate Variability?
“Heart rate variability (HRV) is an important physiological biomarker of wellbeing, mood, and adaptation, and hence improvements in HRV signify improved health, mood, and adaptation to stress” (Chaitanya et. al., 2022). Commonly known as HRV - is the spontaneous change and measurement of beat to beat variations in the heart rate. It originates from the amount of time between one R-wave to the next. HRV is different than our heart rate. It interacts with respiratory and blood pressure regulation as well as between our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Good HRV is when…
Intervals between heartbeats vary. We want the intervals between our heartbeats to vary over time instead of being the exact same. Good HRV implies flexibility of the autonomic nervous system and means good resilience as well as homeostasis. Reduced HRV is a powerful indicator of adverse prognosis in patients with cardiac disease (Gang & Malik, 2003).
HRV is a key indicator of…
Aging
Cardiac health
Resilience
Overall well-being
What is Resilience?
The capacity to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress, challenge, or adversity. Stress impacts the heart immensely and if we can practice resilience then we can overcome stressors and challenges we face in life with more ease.
What is Coherence?
Coherence is a physical state where all components oscillate collectively in sync and create long range dynamic order.
When we refer to coherence within the body and specifically heart coherence this means the optimal state in which all systems are in alignment and working together harmoniously in order to function optimally and perform to the max.
Coherence - specifically heart-brain coherence can be quickly and rather easily achieved within just a few minutes. It will then help assist us in connecting with ourselves and others as well as making more aligned decisions in our lives.
What is the optimal breath rate?
6 breaths per min
High Heart Rate Variability is associated with:
Emotional regulation
Balanced well-being
Information processing
Executive functioning
Optimism
Low HRV is associated with:
Morbidity and mortality
Depression
Anxiety
Poor inhibitory circuits
Aging
HRV training can help with:
Decreasing cortisol levels
Decreasing high blood pressure
Improving mood
Increasing physical stamina
Increasing cognitive and memory performance
Depleting emotions that cause stress:
Fear, frustration, impatience, anger
Depleting emotions may:
Reduce muscle mass
Cause brain cell death
Impair memory
Accelerate aging
Impair mental function
Decrease performance - physically and mentally
Renewing emotions:
Care, courage, appreciation, love, gratitude, joy, patience, kindness, enthusiasm, confidence, bliss
Renewing emotions may:
Increase longevity
Increase resilience to adversity
Improve memory
Improve problem-solving
Increase intuition and creativity
Increase performance and achievement
Steps for quick coherence:
1. Find a comfortable position and begin by connecting with your breath - notice your inhales and exhales and allow them to bring you into the present moment - try 5s inhales, 5 s exhales.
2. Focus your attention on the area of your heart. Feel into the actual beat of your heart.
3. Begin to direct your inhales flowing into and out of your heart center.
4. Choose a positive feeling to focus on such as: compassion, love, gratitude, joy, or think of someone important in your life, etc.
5. Continue this focus for 5-20 minutes or as long as you need.
The Heart:
The heart is our source of wisdom and intelligence within. It has also been show to be a birth place of emotions such as love, care, compassion, and appreciation. It is a powerful place we can go for self-security, self-love, answers to questions we have and to cultivate our inner hero with courage. The heart has also been shown to be an edocrine glad that produces hormones. One specific hormone it produces is atriopeptide which helps to counteract cortisol (the stress hormone).
The heart communicates with the body in 4 ways: Neurological (nervous system), Biochemical (hormones), Biophysical (pulse), and Energetic (electromagnetic).
This energy field the heart puts out can be measured 3-4 feet outside of the body and is known to produce the strongest source of bio-electricity in our bodies. This field changes depending on our emotional state.
Unlock the power of your heart.
in love & wellness,
-Jess
References:
Chaitanya S, Datta A, Bhandari B, Sharma VK. Effect of resonance breathing on heart Rate variability and cognitive functions in young adults: A Randomised Controlled Study. Cureus. 2022 Feb 13;14(2):e22187. doi: 10.7759/cureus.22187. PMID: 35308668; PMCID: PMC8924557.
Gang, Y., & Malik, M. (2003). Heart rate variability analysis in general medicine. Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal, 3(1), 34-40. (4.5 pages).
McCraty, R., & Zayas, M. A. (2014). Cardiac coherence, self-regulation, autonomic stability, and psychosocial well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1090. (10.5 pages).