Heart Rate Variability is a Measure of Resource Allocation in the Body

1min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Alcohol consumption redirects resources to the liver, decreasing heart rate variability (HRV) as the body prioritizes detoxification. HRV reflects the availability of resources for allocation, with high HRV indicating abundant resources and low HRV indicating limited availability. During sickness, the immune system monopolizes resources, reducing HRV. Conversely, HRV increases after cooling down or completing digestion, freeing up resources. HRV fluctuates daily based on resource demands.

What is HRV? WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes and Director of Analytics Emily Capodilupo discuss everything there is to know about heart rate variability, including what it is (3:39), why it's such a valuable metric (7:06), how it's an indicator of fitness (10:11), what things affect it (12:59), why WHOOP tracks it during sleep (17:27), the role it plays in recovery (23:04), how it fluctuates regularly (26:42), why it's hard to say what a "normal" HRV is (30:07), the reason it's most beneficial to follow trends over time (32:11), and lifestyle choices to improve HRV (33:00) like better hydration (36:42), nutrition (39:19) and sleep (42:30).

Support the Show.