Most people think a healthy heart beats as regularly as possible. Tick, tick, tick. Always the same.
That’s not true.
A healthy heart actually beats irregularly. Not wildly or chaotically, but with small variations between each beat. That variation has a name: heart rate variability or, in English, HRV.
And that variation tells you more about how well you recover than any other measurement.
What HRV actually is
Imagine your heart beats twice per second. The time between those beats is never exactly the same. One time it’s 0.82 seconds, the next 0.79, then 0.84 again. Those small differences are your HRV.
The greater the variation, the better. A high HRV means your nervous system is flexible. Your body can switch well between active and relaxed. That you’re recovered and ready for the day.
A low HRV means the opposite. Your body is under pressure. From stress, from lack of sleep, from alcohol, from illness. It can’t switch properly. It’s still busy recovering from yesterday.
Why sleep has the biggest impact on your HRV
Your HRV is highest during deep sleep. That’s the moment when your nervous system, the part that controls rest and recovery, is working hardest.
Sleeping badly? Then your HRV drops. Sleeping well? Then it rises.
It’s actually very simple. Your HRV is a direct reflection of how well your body recovered during the night. No supplement, no workout, and no hack has as much impact on your HRV as a good night’s sleep.
How to measure your HRV
You don’t need an expensive device for it. It mainly comes down to looking at a pattern over a certain period of time. Look at your average over a week. Pay attention to what changes after a bad night, after alcohol, after a busy day, or after a quiet weekend.
That pattern tells you more about your body than you’ll ever learn from a doctor’s visit.
What you can do to improve your HRV
Fixed bedtime. Your nervous system loves consistency. Going to bed at the same time every night is one of the easiest ways to structurally raise your HRV.
No alcohol before bed. Alcohol lowers your HRV directly and measurably. Even one glass shows up in your reading the next morning.
Nose breathing. This is where many people are surprised. Nose breathing during sleep puts your body into recovery mode. Mouth breathing does the opposite. It keeps your body slightly active and lowers your HRV throughout the night.
Cool bedroom. A lower temperature helps your body fall into deep sleep faster. And deep sleep is where your HRV is highest.
The habit for this week
Pick one of those actions and start tracking your HRV if you have a smartwatch or tracker. Watch what happens for seven days. Then you’ll see for yourself what works and what doesn’t. Your body tells you every morning.
Every Night 1% Better.
Guy Veeke
PS. Nose breathing is one of the simplest ways to increase your HRV. But if your nose gets blocked at night, you’ll automatically breathe through your mouth without realizing it. Our nasal strips keep your nose open so your body actually reaches that recovery state.
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