Here's why HRV matters and how to track it with Apple Watch and iPhone

What is heart rate variability?

HRV stands for Heart Rate Variability, a measure of how the time between heartbeats changes. You won't notice these tiny differences, but devices like the Apple Watch capture HRV in milliseconds.

Some medical professionals believe that measuring HRV through the skin using a smartwatch is not as accurate as a dedicated medical device. But studies have shown that the Apple Watch is as reliable as products like Polar heart rate monitors in measuring HRV.

Why is HRV important?

While it may sound like a bad thing at first, a higher HRV actually indicates that you're healthier, happier, less stressed, and may mean you're recovered and ready to exercise.

Many health and fitness professionals consider HRV to be one of the best indicators of knowing when your body needs a break or is ready to work, as well as providing insight into the condition of your autonomic nervous system.

Along with HRV, Cardio Fitness (based on VO2 max) is a valuable metric to note as it can indicate and predict overall health.

This is how the Cleveland Clinic describes HRV:

Changes in your heart reflect your body's ability to adapt. If your heart rate varies a lot, this is usually a sign that your body is adapting to a variety of changes. People with high heart rate variability are generally less stressed and happier.

On the other hand, a lower HRV (at rest) may indicate that your body is less adaptable/resilient and may be a sign of a health issue or potential future health issue.

What is a good HRV value?

HRV is a very personal and ever-changing metric. It also depends on a variety of factors including physical and mental health/stress, diet, nutrition, alcohol consumption, sleep habits, age, gender, genetics, exercise frequency/intensity, etc.

HRV can also change a lot throughout the day, so don't track it hour by hour. With this in mind, it's important not to use HRV by comparing it to other people's HRV, but simply to look at trends in your own HRV over time. If you have questions about your HRV numbers, talk to your doctor.

But if you're curious about general HRV numbers, Whoop has revealed the middle 50% HRV values ​​for its users by age:

How to get it on Apple Using HRV on Watch and iPhone

How to find your HRV Apple Watch data

For Apple Watch users 18 and older, Apple Watch automatically records HRV (in most countries/regions) . However, you'll need to go to the Health app on your iPhone to view the data.

• Open the Health app on iPhone
• Click the Browse tab in the lower right corner
• Select now Heart>Heart Rate Variability
• At the top you can change the HRV data view by day, week, month, half year and year

How to use Apple Watch to force HRV recording

If you use Apple Watch to read HRV manually while resting, and read it at the same time every day, you can get more accurate and Potentially more useful data.

• In addition to automatic readings, you can force the Apple Watch to record your HRV by opening the Mindfulness app and selecting "
Breathe"
• Shortly, you’ll see new HRV data appear in the Health app on iPhone

Get more value from your HRV data

The sticking point is that the Apple Watch and iOS Health app don't offer any suggestions or insights into your HRV data like Whoop or Oura do.

It’s useful to know that trending HRV is a good indicator of overall health, but what about more actionable insights?

I have used the Training Today app and have been impressed with its recommendations. After you allow it to read your HRV data from the Health app, the app will compare your current HRV to your baseline to make recommendations such as taking time to recover, "hold steady but listen to your body," or "Prepare for peak performance".

Training Today calls this the Readiness to Train (RTT) score, and it has an easy-to-use, color-coded 0-10 scale. I found these tips very helpful in listening to what my body was telling me.

Training Today is free to download from the App Store, with in-app purchases available to unlock all of the app’s features.

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