How to Improve Your Heart Rate Variability

HRV is mainly controlled by the body’s autonomic nervous system, says David Benditt, MD, a professor in the department of medicine at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “The sympathetic [nervous system] makes the heart go faster, and the parasympathetic [nervous system] tends to slow it down. The balance between those two, on a beat-to-beat basis, controls the majority of heart rate variability,” he says.

Think of HRV as “a marker of overall health,” says Heather A. Trivedi, MD, a cardiologist at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care in Elmsford, New York. Higher HRV is linked to better cardiovascular health and stress resilience, and lifestyle changes ranging from physical activity to quality sleep have the ability to improve it.

“Fitness through exercise will adjust the heart rate variability over time,” says Dr. Benditt. “Aerobic exercise is perhaps the best known way to do that.”

During exercise, HRV actually decreases, but the ultimate results of this activity favorably impact HRV, says Dr. Trivedi.

Overall, Trivedi recommends following a heart-healthy diet to support HRV, which includes eating more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, less saturated fat, and less processed food.

There appears to be a positive relationship between sleep quality and HRV, seeing as sleep helps the body regulate and recover from stress, and HRV is an indicator of how well the body responds to stress.

Those who are interested in tracking their HRV can use a wearable health tracking device to observe how their sleep on a good night versus a bad night impacts this health metric, says Trivedi.

For people who are overweight or have obesity, weight loss is associated with improved HRV, says Benditt.

Meanwhile, Benditt cautions against excessive weight loss and being underweight, as it may have an adverse effect on overall heart health. “Weight loss doesn’t mean getting down to levels of unhealthy weight,” he says. “People who get to very low weights get very slow heart rates, and their heart rate variability may go up, but not necessarily in a healthy way.”

Cold exposure has some potential to impact HRV.

“Exposure to cold temperatures initially stimulates the sympathetic nervous system as the body rapidly constricts blood vessels near the skin to reduce heat loss,” says Angadi. “This moves circulating blood volume toward the core and raises blood pressure, which, in turn, stimulates the pressure receptors in the carotid artery and aorta to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a decreased heart rate over time and increased HRV.” This process encourages the autonomic nervous system to function as it should, balancing between these sympathetic and parasympathetic responses.

Certain types of breathing exercises may improve HRV.

Meditation’s benefits for HRV is a short-term effect, says Benditt. And while mindful breathing and meditation engage parasympathetic activity in the moment, Trivedi says it’s not entirely clear how much of these practices is required to reap long-term benefits.

Both alcohol and caffeine appear to have complex relationships with HRV.

“Caffeine is a little harder to decipher,” says Benditt. “Basic pharmacology suggests that caffeine would reduce heart rate variability.”

“Habitual caffeine intake doesn’t worsen HRV per se, although very high caffeine intake has been shown to worsen HRV in some studies,” says Angadi.

Trivedi suggests not overdoing it with caffeine may be the key, but more research is needed.

There may be a connection between mental and emotional well-being and HRV as well.

“Stress, depression, anxiety, and different life stressors can negatively or inversely impact HRV, so we would assume that relief of those would improve it,” says Trivedi.

• Heart rate variability is a general measure of health. It indicates how well the body can adapt to and recover from stress, with a high HRV indicating better overall health and fitness.
• Healthy lifestyle choices, such as consistent exercise, a nutrient-dense diet, and quality sleep, all support a healthy HRV.
• Minimizing harm to your general health, be it from excessive alcohol consumption or poor stress management, protects your HRV as well.
• HRV isn’t a metric you need to overthink; instead, it’s another tool you can choose to use to support the adoption and maintenance of healthy habits.