Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
milliseconds
The variation in time between consecutive heartbeats is marker of autonomic nervous system function: higher HRV generally reflects more parasympathetic activity (recovered and rested state) while lower HRV generally reflects more sympathetic activity (stressed and active state).
Typical optimal range 45 ms - 105 ms
Population median 60 ms
Key factors
- Alcohol consumption
- Cumulative training and occupational stress load
- Sleep quality and duration
What affects this metric
- Menstrual cycle phase shifts HRV across the month.
- Body position matters, so HRV read lying down differs from standing.
- Cannabis lowers overnight HRV in a similar pattern to alcohol.
- Alcohol suppresses HRV for one to two nights after drinking.
- Late meals and late caffeine lower overnight HRV.
- Hard training, illness, and psychological stress all reduce it.
- HRV declines with age and differs widely between people.
References
Peer-reviewed sources supporting the key factors, contributing factors, and typical optimal range shown above.
- Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP. An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms. Frontiers in Public Health. 2017;5:258. doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258
- Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and NASPE. Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use. Circulation. 1996;93(5):1043–1065. doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.93.5.1043
- Nunan D, Sandercock GRH, Brodie DA. A quantitative systematic review of normal values for short-term heart rate variability in healthy adults. Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology. 2010;33(11):1407–1417. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-8159.2010.02841.x
- Pietilä J, Helander E, Korhonen I, Myllymäki T, Kujala UM, Lindholm H. Acute effect of alcohol intake on cardiovascular autonomic regulation during the first hours of sleep. JMIR Mental Health. 2018;5(1):e23. doi.org/10.2196/mental.9519
- Schmalenberger KM, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Jarczok MN, et al.. Menstrual cycle changes in vagally-mediated heart rate variability are associated with progesterone: evidence from two within-person studies. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020;9(3):617. doi.org/10.3390/jcm9030617
- Plews DJ, Laursen PB, Stanley J, Kilding AE, Buchheit M. Training adaptation and heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes: opening the door to effective monitoring. Sports Medicine. 2013;43(9):773–781. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0071-8
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own results.