I’ve been into gadgets since I was a child. The complexity of what’s available now would have delighted and amazed my 12 year old self. The amount of data we can have at our disposal is really incredible. Health ‘wearables’ in particular, can be really insightful. I use my apple watch daily for a number of reasons.
Firstly, I’m interested to see what my heart rate does throughout the day. My resting HR tends to be about 52, and will vary quite a bit depending on what I’ve been doing. As I’ve got older, I’ve noticed that if it’s not at a steady 50-something at rest it can feel rather uncomfortable, whether faster or slower. Being able to see my watch ECG at the time and knowing the rhythm is normal is actually very reassuring for me. Patients often ask if I mind them bringing me wearable data like this to a consultation, and I’m always happy to look at it, as it helps me help them.
Heart rate isn’t all the watches can do though, there are other benefits besides. You may have heard of ‘heart rate variability’, or HRV for short. HRV is a measure of how much your heart rate varies throughout the day. Being able to vary a lot is healthy. It’s all to do with the autonomic nervous system. This has two parts, parasympathetic (rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight). Both act on something called the vagus nerve, and it is the balance between these two forces that help determine your heart rate. There will be times when we need a fast heart rate, for example during exercise, but at other times, it can be a sign that something is wrong.
HRV typically gets lower as you get older, but there are many other factors that affect it too. It is a measure of fitness, but that’s not to say if my HRV is higher than yours I’m fitter than you are. Stress, diet, hydration, exercise, sleep, even your genetic make-up…. all of these can affect it. What is more important than the actual number, is how it changes over time, and this will be a number unique to you. There are ways you can improve your HRV (and i’ve alluded to these just now – lowering your stress levels, eating a good diet, sleeping 8 hours per day, getting regular exercise). Individuals will vary as to how much these influence the HRV.
In my own case, I have found a few things that really affect it. Exercise, sleep and alcohol. I’m sure you can guess whether these bring it up or down! Which brings me to this weekend. I’ve had such a fun one. I met up with 11 old friends (the oldest of which I went to nursey school with over 40 years ago!) and we rented a cottage, had some nice food, did no exercise, watched a lot of football and rugby, stayed up late and drank more alcohol than I’m used to. Cultivating these relationships is super important, as unless we make the effort, time passes and one loses touch. This is an annual event now, and a highlight of the year for all of us.
My word though, my HRV has plummeted, and my resting heart rate has been in the 80s which in itself has felt really uncomfortable! Just shows what a difference lifestyle makes. I can’t wait for a good night’s sleep tonight, and it’s back to the bike and weights this week for me tomorrow, get that heart of mine back in order!
