heart rate variability devices

[Martinso93]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for effective ways to deepen my relaxation and activate my parasympathetic nervous system. Has anyone here tried using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) devices?

I keep seeing ads for them on social media, and I'm a bit skeptical. Are they genuinely helpful, or are many of them just scams?

I'm also curious about other relaxation methods people find useful. What are your go-to techniques?

Thanks for any insights!

[Yimpa]

6 minutes ago, Martinso93 said:

I'm also curious about other relaxation methods people find useful.

Your relationship to the environment and the people you’re with regularly in is an important point to consider first. Are you in a place that allow you to be relaxed, or do you feel that you’re constantly in a war zone (so to speak)?

[PsychedelicEagle]

I'm also curious to see if those types of devices actually work to increase HRV.

In the meantime, I bought a new Garmin watch (my current one is quite old, no HRV) to track it.
I guess first it's interesting to keep track of measurements for a while (as a baseline) before trying out the intervention.

And the intervention can be what @Yimpa very sensibly suggested above, i.e.

Quote

Your relationship to the environment and the people you’re with regularly

 

Edited May 5 by PsychedelicEagle

[Natasha Tori Maru]

On 05/05/2025 at 4:26 PM, PsychedelicEagle said:

I'm also curious to see if those types of devices actually work to increase HRV.

In the meantime, I bought a new Garmin watch (my current one is quite old, no HRV) to track it.
I guess first it's interesting to keep track of measurements for a while (as a baseline) before trying out the intervention.

And the intervention can be what @Yimpa very sensibly suggested above, i.e.

 

I've been tracking my HRV and various stats with a Garmin watch. I run regularly and do threshold training.

For reference as it is relevent (HRV is effected by menstruation) genetically born female, 38 years old.

What I have discovered effects my HRV:

• Resting heart rate - The fitter you are the lower this is. Simply, your heart is more efficient. 
• Hydration - this will increase HRV as obviously dehydrated states force your work to work harder due to lower blood volume.
• Sleep - minimum for me is 8hrs, and I treat sleep like going to work.
• Food timing - eating right before bed usually ups my heart rate through the night, lowering HRV.
• Training - Hardcore training, or overtraining, will show in lowered HRV. When I go for zone 5 training, VO2 max stuff or threshold, it tanks a bit.
• Breathing/breathwork - breath control always lowers heartrate, assisting with HRV.
• Alcohol/drugs - SAY GOODBYE TO HRV >.< average 50ms lower
• Menstruation - resting heart rate gains 10bpm, HRV tanks by 20ms average.
• Processed foods (preservatives, junk food, emulsifiers, sugar etc) will tank HRV average 30ms. I eat vegetables and meat with dairy, seeds and nuts. ZZZZ for most.

If you think about HRV and what it is actually is a measure of - how quickly your heart responds to stress, ie how quickly it can lower back to baseline or rise to perform for exercise, the above all make sense.

For some reference stats: Av HRV - 96ms, 130ms peak while sleeping, Sleep 8hrs (2hrs deep, 2 hrs REM), Resting heart rate - 47bpm, 350 zone minutes a week, average 25,000 steps a day, no alcohol, no drugs, no processed food. Supplements: liquid iron, vitamin D 5000iu, K2 & magnesium. + 6 Fish oil tablets a day. 2hours per day in nature, Australian bushland. Some resistance training with Yoga. I meditate 30 minutes twice per day, 3 hours on the weekends.

Been doing this for 8 years, took a lot of trial and error. I feel absolutely fantastic. No aches, pains. 

When I started to track health metrics it was eye opening. 

It has been a great tool!

I don't know about HRV devices and their effects, but you can tackle this and increase HRV with the simple tools around you and good habits

Edited May 10 by Natasha Tori Maru

[PsychedelicEagle]

@Natasha Tori Maru, cheers on mastering your habits that much. 

10 hours ago, Natasha Tori Maru said:

For some reference stats: Av HRV - 96ms, 130ms peak while sleeping, Sleep 8hrs (2hrs deep, 2 hrs REM), Resting heart rate - 47bpm, 350 zone minutes a week, average 25,000 steps a day, no alcohol, no drugs, no processed food. Supplements: liquid iron, vitamin D 5000iu, K2 & magnesium. + 6 Fish oil tablets a day. 2hours per day in nature, Australian bushland. Some resistance training with Yoga. I meditate 30 minutes twice per day, 3 hours on the weekends.

This is quite amazing.

Btw, I've bought the Withing's Sleep Analyzer, since I realized Garmin wasn't tracking my sleep that well. I can easily recommend that device.

Currently, I'm also tracking all my food intake with Cronometer. I will report back once I gather more data.

[Natasha Tori Maru]

Adding on some more info, it slipped my mind!

164cm, 48kg AND psychedelic use lowers HRV by around 50ms.

I think they really tax the nervous system.

[PsychedelicEagle]

Interesting. @Natasha Tori Maru, what psychedelics/ROA and for how long is HRV lowered?

Edited May 12 by PsychedelicEagle