SHOW NOTES
Dr. Jay is back for another HRV Q&A. He is answering questions related to common myths and misconceptions about heart rate variability, including how tracking can determine a possible heart attack, what other devices claim as far as HRV training and so much more!
In This Episode You’ll Learn
- We are in full swing selling the Hanu App; an all day mental health monitoring and therapy tool...03:00
- Conscious volition can cause HRV to go down...07:45
Questions from our listeners
- Question #1: Mitch asks: I've always had a low HRV and I've heard it can indicate that I'm at risk for a heart attack. What can I do in order to help with this?...10:15
- I want to dispel this notion that someone has a "low HRV," because this is all very relative.
- HRV for the most part is not a normative, comparative piece of biometric data.
- Low and high HRV only has meaning in relationship to your own individual base line HRV.
- Every person's normative range for HRV varies.
- HRV is just a metric among other metrics to determine heart health.
- HRV is not a good indicator for risk for heart attack on it's own. There are many other great metrics to look at for that purpose.
- To help, be sure you understand what HRV is used for and what it is not used for.
- HRV is a mechanism for autonomic control, so you can learn to use it well for self-regulation.
- Normal is better in the field of HRV
- Question #2: Cindy asks: I have been working on trying to be more active with breathwork and HRV training. I think Hanu will be a huge source of encouragement and accountability for me. (We love to hear that Cindy!) Where is a good place to start in this part of my journey?...20:10
- Where do we start in creating habits. James Clear wrote a book called, "Atomic Habits," and a Key concept is to act like who you want to become.
- Small changes, even changing your language, can make large impacts and really help with habit formation.
- Research is clear that the greatest benefit of HRV work comes from 25 minutes twice a day. This is difficult to jump into right away
- The Hanu device will pace you at your own breath rate that will auto populate through your assessment. This customization is awesome.
- Start small. It can be 30 seconds to a minute each day to start.
- Question #3: Paul asks: What do you think about devices that claim to raise your HRV? Is that possible?...28:50
- Jay is board certified in this area, and his approach is, "Prove it."
- Show us the data.
- Hanu is built on HRV biofeedback research that has been established for decades.
- The underlying function of HRV biofeedback is to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, and there are researched benefits for many health concerns.
- Be wary and skeptical if the claims say your HRV will increase passively. It is likely click bait.
For more great content surrounding our device, heart rate variability, breathwork and more, visit our Learn page.