6 ways to improve your HRV

How do I improve my HRV ?

This is a question I get quite a bit form athletes who have invested in tech to track their HRV but have discovered that there HRV score is low majority of the time, indicating that they are in a high stress state.

 If this sounds like you, or your one of those people that like to get ahead of the problem, then this article is ideal for you.

 Today Ill be going through 6 methods that you can implement right away that will help you mange stress better, recovery from training more efficiently improving HRV and of course most importantly improving your performance for the long term.

So how do you I actually improve my HRV in the first place.

 As you have probable guessed all the corner stones of a healthy and balanced lifestyle can help to improve your HRV. You might be saying that’s grand to yourself but how do I actually make meaning full/impactfully changes to my lifestyle, and that’s a fair question.

 We know that measuring HRV is a direct assessment of our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system, our flight/fight or digest and relax states. When we get over stretched by life stressors (relationship, work etc) or by our training, nutrition and lack of recovery our HRV will be supressed. Meaning we are not in a good place to deal with high amounts of stress (lifestyle, training etc). Therefore by making changes with your diet (supporting the body), optimising your training load and planning in some recovery you can reduce the internal stress within the body, brining it form a state of flight/fight to a place of digestion and relaxation This will show by a natural increase in your HRV scores over time.

 Improving HRV through better Nutrition

 As you have probable guessed as a performance nutritionist I’m a firm believer that if you want to improve not only your performance but health too you need to start by having a good hard look at you diet and be prepared to make the necessary changes.

Two things that you can start right now to implement with your diet to improve your recovery from training, getting a better handle on manging your stress is;

Increase your antioxidant intake

Antioxidants support your immune system by reducing inflammation and protecting your cells from free radical damage. If you increase your dietary intake of antioxidants you will reduce systemic inflammation, improving your recovery from your training. Improved recovery = reduced stress = natural increase in HRV over time and hence your ability to deal with and adapt to stress improves. You become more resilient to stress.

There is a few ways in which you can increase your antioxidant intake. You can  incorporate fresh herbs and spices into your cooking will also help to increase antioxidant intake. Along with drinking a wide variety of teas. Try adding more fruit and veggies into your diet also, think eat the rainbow. Aim to get in at least 1 portion of veg/fruit form each colour group (white, green, yellow, orange, purple) per day.

Another option is to supplement with Tart Cherry juice. Tart cherry juice is a concentrated high strength antioxidant, that reduces oxidative dame and thus reduces inflammation. It can be taken in the post training refuelling window and before sleep.  If you are going through a particular hard period of training or just can’t recover adequality, then I would highly recombed using Tart Cherry juice to up you recovery gain.

Stay well hydrated

A reduction in 2% of body mass after training is a direct indicator or dehydration, even when you begin to feel thirsty dehydration has begun to kick in. From a recovery perspective dehydration is a battle you don’t want to be facing on a daily bases. Dehydration results in a decline in cardiac out put heart rate rises continuously whereas stroke volume declines by as much as 30%, limiting the filling of the heart. This results in the heart trying to work harder to keep up with the demand being placed on the body (even at rest), but its capacity to carry out the work required is greatly reduced, ultimately resulting in an over stressed cardiovascular system and low resilience to stress.

To stay optimally hydrated guidelines are to consume 35-40 ml of water per kg of body mass.

 How to manage your stress better to improve your HRV

 You can’t afforded to overlook this component As an athlete all your training and practise for your sport is placing stress on the body. The key principle beaning to over load (place stress) the body, increasing damage/inflammation with the sole focus to force the body to adapt becoming fitter faster stronger etc. However overloading the body is something endurance athletes tend to do with ease and typical overdo it. Not Only do athletes over load their body directly you can also be overloaded indirectly through life stress (work, relationship, personal issues). Its paramount that you learn how to manage stress weather that’s intentional or unintentional. Here are 2 of my favourite ways to reduce stress and bring some balance back to the body.

Practice mindfulness breathing

 Breathing slowly has been shown to boost your parasympathetic nervous system, your rest & digest. One technique to use is called box breathing, you inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds and hold for 4 seconds. I key is to try to inflate you stomach when breathing in and not your chest. As little as 5 minutes a day dedicated to this simple box breathing exercise can reduce anxiety and stress, allowing you nervous system to recovery, naturally leading to an increase in HRV and thus your ability to handy stress.

Spend time in nature

Research shows that spending time in nature improves HRV and reduces stress. The Japanese have a special name for this, known as “forest bathing”. Research has found that forest bathing reduced physical markers of stress, lowered blood pressure, and reduced cortisol levels. So spending time in nature in particular green environments reduces mental stress leading to improved HRV scores.

 Lastly getting good quality sleep to improve your HRV

 When it comes to sleep we need to throw out the old paradigm of thinking we need 8 hours of sleep per night. When in reality its all dependent on the induvial (you) in relation to how much you need. What the latest research is suggesting in that we sleep in cycles of 90minutes and should ideally wake at the end of a cycle when getting up. Its recommend to get 7-9 hours per nigh, however life and training and stress might require you to need more. We cant just focus on quaintly but we need quality sleep too.

Here is a few key tips to improve you quality of you sleep

• Sleep in a cool dark room
• Avoided any blue light exposure for at least 1-hour pre sleep
• Set a pattern with going to bed and waking same time each day
• Sleep with a weighted blanket

Take home points

1. Stay hydrated
2. Increase your antioxidant intake
3. Practice box breathing daily
4. Get out into nature as much as you can
5. Sleep at least 7-9 hours per night
6. Create a sleeping routine

I hope you enjoyed todays read, don't forget to check out part 1 - what is HRV and why you should be tracking it. And please do remember that I’m here to help you in any way I can so don’t be shy and get in touch with any of your questions, Id be more than happy to help you.

Don’t forget to download our E-book on HRV for more practical tips on how you can take control of your recovery today's allowing you to train hard and most important improve your performance. 

Here are the main areas that I cover in this eBook that can help you take control and push your performance to the next level.

• How to consistently track your HRV so you can trust the numbers. 
• 2 most curcial ways to tweak your nutrition to maximise your adaption form your training.
• How to read into the long term changes to make the right adjustments with your training to keep you progressing through the year.
• Top 3 ways to mange your mental stress 

I want a free copy! 

References

• Burma, J., Copeland, P., Macaulay, A., Khatra, O. and Smirl, J., 2020. Effects of high-intensity intervals and moderate-intensity exercise on baroreceptor sensitivity and heart rate variability during recovery. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism,.
• 2020. Quickstart Guide. [online] Available at: <https://www.hrv4training.com/quickstart-guide.html> [Accessed 19 August 2020].
• James, D., Munson, S., Maldonado-Martin, S. and De Ste Croix, M., 2012. Heart Rate Variability. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83(4), pp.533-539.
• Javaloyes, A., Sarabia, J., Lamberts, R., Plews, D. and Moya-Ramon, M., 2020. Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability Vs. Block Periodization in Well-Trained Cyclists. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 34(6), pp.1511-1518.
• Kaikkonen, P., Rusko, H. and Martinmäki, K., 2007. Post-exercise heart rate variability of endurance athletes after different high-intensity exercise interventions. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 18(4), pp.511-519.
• Michael, S., Graham, K. and Davis, G., 2017. Cardiac Autonomic Responses during Exercise and Post-exercise Recovery Using Heart Rate Variability and Systolic Time Intervals—A Review. Frontiers in Physiology, 8.