Dr. Andy Galpin

So we want to use this as a measure of progress or regression rather than just comparing score to score, especially if you're comparing your score to your friends and you're on a ring and they're on a watch or something like that. The number is actually the calculation. The equation itself can be completely different.

There's many, many ways to calculate HRV that are scientifically validated, and the numbers are digits different than the other ones. That's an important point to pay attention to. I've already also talked about the fact that it could be normal for you when you have an HRV score that is, let's just to put numbers on it, say 25. Well, that actually might be normal for you. I don't know.

There's many, many ways to calculate HRV that are scientifically validated, and the numbers are digits different than the other ones. That's an important point to pay attention to. I've already also talked about the fact that it could be normal for you when you have an HRV score that is, let's just to put numbers on it, say 25. Well, that actually might be normal for you. I don't know.

If we look at your respiratory rate and your resting heart rate and your CO2 tolerance and your subjective feeling and your recovery and your performance and your cognition, and they're all great, well, then I might not be super worried about just your HRV. So we're never going to take it of itself, by itself, and only itself, and over-interpret its meaning.

If we look at your respiratory rate and your resting heart rate and your CO2 tolerance and your subjective feeling and your recovery and your performance and your cognition, and they're all great, well, then I might not be super worried about just your HRV. So we're never going to take it of itself, by itself, and only itself, and over-interpret its meaning.

If you are going to calculate it, please collect good data. What do I mean by that? However you're testing it, be consistent. If you're wearing a ring, wear a ring. Use the same one. If you're testing it with a chest strap every morning, use it in the same position. Don't take it seated one day. Don't take it lying down the next day.

If you are going to calculate it, please collect good data. What do I mean by that? However you're testing it, be consistent. If you're wearing a ring, wear a ring. Use the same one. If you're testing it with a chest strap every morning, use it in the same position. Don't take it seated one day. Don't take it lying down the next day.

Don't wake up and go to the bathroom one day and then check it and the next day you did it before going to the bathroom. Or you did it before breakfast and then you had coffee the next time and you had a giant pancake breakfast. You get the point here. Test it under the same consistent terms always. We want to pay attention mostly to trends over time.

Don't wake up and go to the bathroom one day and then check it and the next day you did it before going to the bathroom. Or you did it before breakfast and then you had coffee the next time and you had a giant pancake breakfast. You get the point here. Test it under the same consistent terms always. We want to pay attention mostly to trends over time.

And the recommendation I'll give you here is to establish your own standard deviation. Here's what that means. Let's say you test your HRV for 30 days. And within those 30 days, don't do anything about it. Don't make any changes. on a piece of paper in an Excel file on your computer, just jot down the score on all 30 of those days. Then ask it to run a standard deviation calculation

And the recommendation I'll give you here is to establish your own standard deviation. Here's what that means. Let's say you test your HRV for 30 days. And within those 30 days, don't do anything about it. Don't make any changes. on a piece of paper in an Excel file on your computer, just jot down the score on all 30 of those days. Then ask it to run a standard deviation calculation

And this will basically tell you what your normal average number is and how far off, up or low, you tend to go within a 30-day window. This matters a ton because the amount of that deviation, number one, tells us something about your physiology that's maybe arguably more important than the actual number itself. Let me give you some mathematical examples. Let's say your HRV was 30 on your device.

And this will basically tell you what your normal average number is and how far off, up or low, you tend to go within a 30-day window. This matters a ton because the amount of that deviation, number one, tells us something about your physiology that's maybe arguably more important than the actual number itself. Let me give you some mathematical examples. Let's say your HRV was 30 on your device.

Whatever 30 is, whatever that means, it doesn't matter. and you calculated it after a month, and it said your average is 30, and your standard deviation was 20. That means you swing all the way down to 10, all the way up to 50. That is a very large standard deviation. Other people, their standard deviation might be three or five. And so you have to know What matters to you?

Whatever 30 is, whatever that means, it doesn't matter. and you calculated it after a month, and it said your average is 30, and your standard deviation was 20. That means you swing all the way down to 10, all the way up to 50. That is a very large standard deviation. Other people, their standard deviation might be three or five. And so you have to know What matters to you?

If your standard deviation is 20 and you wake up one day and instead of being at 30, which is your average, you're at 27, that means nothing to you. That is nothing because that's such a low percentage of your normal deviation.

If your standard deviation is 20 and you wake up one day and instead of being at 30, which is your average, you're at 27, that means nothing to you. That is nothing because that's such a low percentage of your normal deviation.

the opposite person, whose standard deviation is normally five, and they wake up and they're seven high or low, then that actually tells them something's going on that their system is responding to. So if you want my honest answer of how to use HRV the most appropriate, this is what we're paying attention to. Typically, again, just a rule of thumb here,

the opposite person, whose standard deviation is normally five, and they wake up and they're seven high or low, then that actually tells them something's going on that their system is responding to. So if you want my honest answer of how to use HRV the most appropriate, this is what we're paying attention to. Typically, again, just a rule of thumb here,

People that are more stable in their HRV are generally better. If you have a score that is doubling every other day, we would immediately start thinking, all right, this person's hyperreactive. Whatever they're doing is causing a huge change in their autonomic nervous system. We need to create more stability here. That's how we become more resilient. That's how we become more predictable.