Your Body’s Built-In Stress Meter
Understanding HRV and how to support it through small, daily wellness shifts
LFG Deep Dive: What Your Heart Rate Variability Says About Your Health
You’ve probably seen the acronym HRV pop up on your fitness tracker or wellness app. But what is heart rate variability—and why does it matter?
Let’s break it down 👇
💡 What Is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?
Heart rate variability refers to the small, natural fluctuations in the time between each of your heartbeats — or the variation in the intervals between beats.
You can’t feel them, but they say a lot about your nervous system and your resilience to stress.
A higher HRV generally means your body is adaptable, less stressed, and better equipped to handle physical or emotional pressure.
A lower HRV may signal that your body is under strain—or struggling to recover.
A high HRV indicates higher cardiovascular fitness and resilience to stress. It is an incredible, real time window into our health
HRV can range from below 20 to over 200 milliseconds in adults.
While a higher HRV is generally associated with better health and greater resilience, what qualifies as a “good” number varies from person to person.
It’s more important to track how your HRV changes relative to your own baseline rather than compare it to someone else’s.
For example, if you implement healthy habits and notice your HRV increasing over time, that’s a positive sign your health and resilience is improving.
On the other hand, if your HRV consistently decreases, it may be time to take a closer look at your stress levels and overall lifestyle.
🧠 It All Comes Back to Your Nervous System
HRV is regulated by your autonomic nervous system, which has two key branches:
Sympathetic (fight or flight): This is your body’s stress response system. When you're faced with a real or perceived threat — whether it's a tight deadline, intense workout, or a sudden scare — the sympathetic nervous system kicks in. It speeds up your heart rate, increases your breathing rate, and elevates your blood pressure levels to give you a quick burst of energy. This response is designed to help you react and stay alert in times of danger or stress.
Parasympathetic (rest and digest): This is your recovery mode. After the perceived threat is gone, the parasympathetic system takes over to calm the body down. It slows your heart rate, reduces blood pressure, promotes digestion, and supports repair processes. This state is essential for recovery, hormonal balance, immune function, and overall long-term health.
The key here is that short-term stress — like what we experience during a tough workout— is actually beneficial. It challenges the body and builds resilience.
What we need to be mindful of is chronic, long-term stress, which keeps us stuck in the sympathetic “fight or flight” state. Over time, this can wear down our systems and negatively impact our health.
A flexible nervous system can easily move between these states.
HRV is one of the best real-time indicators of how well that switch is working.
👟What Affects HRV?
Chronic stress
Anxiety and depression
Poor sleep
Processed foods
Alcohol
Smoking
Lack of movement
Chronic health conditions (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), asthma, anxiety, and depression)
Women may notice fluctuations in HRV throughout their hormonal cycle. In the second half of the cycle — the luteal phase — HRV will likely decrease slightly.
After ovulation, progesterone levels rise, which increases body temperature and activates the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” response).
As a result, you may notice a slightly elevated resting heart rate and a small decline in HRV.
HRV tends to be higher during the follicular phase or the first half of your cycle.
📉 Why Low HRV Matters
A consistently low HRV can be a red flag that your body’s resilience and adaptability are compromised. You may experience:
Anxiety or depression
Fatigue
Chronic stress
Inflammation
Poor sleep
Reduced cognitive function
Low cardiovascular fitness
Difficulty recovering from stress or illness
Impaired emotional regulation
Think of it as a sign that your body is stuck in “go-go-go” mode — and struggling to shift back into a state of rest and recovery.
✨ How to Boost Your HRV: 6 LFG-Approved Tips
Your heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the best biomarkers of how well your body is handling stress, recovering, and staying resilient. The good news?
HRV is highly responsive to lifestyle changes—small, intentional shifts can lead to measurable improvements in just days or weeks.
Here are 6 simple, mostly free lifestyle tweaks to raise your HRV, boost your wellbeing, and support long-term health — all short, digestible, and easy to implement.
1. 🏃♀️ Train Smart, Not Just Hard
Regular movement is one of the best ways to improve HRV, but overtraining can have the opposite effect. Build in recovery days, alternate high- and low-intensity workouts, and pay attention to your energy levels.
Make sure to incorporate both resistance training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
Exercise is one of the most powerful ways to increase our body’s ability to adapt to stressors—both physical and emotional. When we lift heavy weights or sprint hard and then recover, we strengthen our body’s ability to repair and adapt.
Focus on:
Aiming for 10K+ steps a day
Lifting heavy weights a few days a week
Including a few high-intensity interval training sessions each week — think Tabata-style cardio (sprints, jumping jacks, burpees — whatever gets your heart rate up in short bursts with recovery)
2. 🥗 Eat Well
A nutrient-dense diet lowers inflammation and supports your heart, brain, and hormones. A diet rich in antioxidants (think berries, green tea, turmeric) and omega-3 fatty acids (like wild-caught salmon and flaxseeds) can boost your HRV and help your body become more resilient.
When you eat matters too. Stick to regular meals and avoid eating within 3–4 hours of bedtime to support your circadian rhythm and optimize sleep quality.
Focus on nourishing your body with:
Plenty of fruits and vegetables
Healthy fats — think nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocado
High-quality animal proteins — such as wild-caught fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring), organic chicken, pasture-raised eggs, and grass-fed, organic beef
Probiotic-rich foods — like kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi
Polyphenol-rich foods — antioxidant-packed berries, green tea, turmeric and dark chocolate
Just as eating well can boost your heart rate variability (HRV), a poor diet can bring it down.
Dietary patterns that may negatively impact HRV include:
High saturated and trans fats — often found in processed and fried foods
High-glycemic carbohydrates — foods that cause blood sugar spikes, such as cookies, bread, baked goods, chips, pasta, and candy
Checkout our guide to a healthy pantry, grocery guide for glowing skin & our guide to health snacking for more whole food swaps & nutrient dense grocery shopping lists.
3. 💧 Hydrate
Even mild dehydration can lower HRV by reducing blood volume, making it harder for the heart to circulate oxygen and nutrients efficiently.
Staying well-hydrated with water and electrolytes supports healthy circulation and overall cardiovascular function.
Electrolytes play a key role in regulating fluid balance in the body — adding them to your water is an excellent way to boost hydration and support your health.
We love these electrolytes at LFG!
Also make sure you’re drinking out of glass to avoid the harmful toxins in plastics. We love these big glass mason jars (pro tip - add lemon & mint!) & Mountain Valley Spring Water if you want to buy bottled water.
4. 😴 Sleep Deep, Sleep Consistent
Aim for 7 to 9 hours of deep, quality sleep.
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
It sounds simple, but this one habit can dramatically improve your sleep, stress response and recovery.
A few non-negotiables in my nighttime routine for deep, high-quality sleep are:
Valerian Root (this helps with a racing mind & relaxation)
5. 🧘♀️ Practice Mindfulness or Meditation
Even just one minute a day can make a difference. Practicing mindfulness or meditation consistently can reduce stress and inflammation, improve focus, and support a healthier HRV.
Start with your breath.
Slow, rhythmic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system — helping you shift out of stress and into calm. Try techniques like box breathing, the 4-7-8 method, or simply inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling longer than you inhale.
Keep a gratitude journal.
Yes — it really works. Writing down just three things you’re grateful for each day can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, and even raise your HRV.
I dive deeper into this topic in my post on Feeling Your Feelings if you want more tips & ideas.
6. 🚫 Skip the Alcohol
Even small amounts of alcohol can noticeably impact your HRV and recovery. It also disrupts sleep and can contribute to feelings of anxiety and low mood.
Just one drink can lower your HRV by an average of 7 milliseconds — a surprisingly significant effect on your body’s ability to rest and repair.
Cutting back — or skipping alcohol altogether — can make a meaningful difference in how you feel day to day, and in your overall health and resilience.
✨ Remember: HRV is a reflection of your body's adaptability. The more you nourish your nervous system and body with intention, the more resilient you become.
Your HRV offers a real-time snapshot of your health — and it’s an incredible motivator to start building better habits, because you will see tangible changes almost immediately.
For example, when I eat late at night, I wake up with a noticeably lower HRV. That tells me my body didn’t recover well because it spent the night digesting instead of resting.
When I stop eating by 6 PM, my HRV is significantly higher the next morning and I wake up feeling far more rested.
This metric gives us instant feedback on how our daily routines impact both our short-term wellbeing and long-term health.
At LFG, we focus on the basics: small tweaks, simple swaps, and daily habits that—when done consistently—create a huge ripple effect in how we feel and function.
I personally love tracking my HRV. It shows me what’s working, where I can improve, and keeps me motivated to stick with the habits that truly make a difference.
You don’t have to do all seven. Start with one or two that resonate with you — and build from there.
🧪 How Do You Measure HRV?
If you’re curious, we love tools like Oura Ring, Whoop and Garmin to measure our HRV!
Quick reminder- This newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. I’m simply sharing my personal experience—please consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health or wellness routine ❤️
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Now I know what Whoop, Oura Ring, and Garmin are telling me. Thank you, this is extremely helpful!