Our HRV score is calculated from the RMSSD and represents the strength of your Autonomic Nervous System (specifically the Parasympathetic branch) at a given time. The other numbers provided are for reference for those interested in in more detailed analysis of their HRV data.
Basic Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the measured changes of the time intervals between successive heart beats. Unlike Heart Rate (HR) that averages the number of heart beats per minute, HRV looks much closer at the small fluctuations of the heart that occur in response to internal and external events.
Research standardized calculations such as RMSSD can still appear slightly different between systems. This could be due to differences in hardware (heart rate monitors, etc.). But it is usually due to differences in the way misreads and signal noise are handled.
The average HRV score is 59.3 for Elite HRV users. Being above or below average is interesting to know, but it does not tell you whether your score is “good” or “bad”.
A higher HRV is generally a good thing, but there are exceptions which the app picks up on. You want your HRV to gradually increase over time (weeks, months, years). If you have taken a few Morning Readiness readings, you know that your HRV can go up and down slightly from day to day. This is normal and generally healthy.
Heart Rate Variability can be affected by changes in circadian rhythm, hormonal shifts, and acute stressors throughout the day. Also, whatever you were doing before taking a reading has a very strong impact on the reading results.
Certain trends (such as Daily Readiness, Heart Rate Variability and Heart Rate) are viewable directly within the Elite HRV app on your preferred phone or tablet. More advanced trends (such as Coefficient of Variation, Sleep, Exercise) can be found on the web dashboard (link).
After several days of taking Morning Readiness readings, Elite HRV begins to form your personal HRV baseline.
Join Chris Kelly and Jason Moore in their discussion about Heart Rate Variability – What is it? Who uses it? How can it help functional diagnostic nutritionists?
Presentation on Heart Rate Variability at UC Berkeley during Ancestral Health Symposium. How Heart Rate Variability relates to stress and ancestral living.