HRV and COVID-19 in athletes. Is there a connection?
We have been asked by the UK Government to test the hypothesis that HRV may be a powerful diagnostic tool for Covid-19. This article will explain the relationship between HRV and Covid, focusing particularly on the implications for people who exercise regularly and...We’ve been awarded a grant to research the relationship between COVID19 and HRV!
HRV Fit awarded a grant for business-led innovation in response to global disruption due to COVID-19 After being contacted by ithlete users reporting unusual Heart Rate Variability (HRV) values during possible COVID-19 symptoms, we considered what links there might be...How does your HRV vary throughout the day, and why does it matter what time of day you take an HRV reading?
We recommend you take your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) reading at the same time of day – just after waking up and before drinking tea / coffee or checking your emails and social media. But why does it matter what time of day you take an HRV reading, and why can’t you compare a reading taken in the morning with one taken after lunch or in the evening?
Can HRV predict changes in performance in swimmers?
Research performed over several decades has shown that when performed regularly aerobic exercise increases heart rate variability (HRV). Studies, such as this one, demonstrated that changes in HRV have corresponded with changes in performance brought about by training...Are you Inflamm-Aging well?
What is inflamm-aging? And what can you do to ensure you’re inflamm-aging well? A reseaarch summary of the origional paper and how tracking HRV relates.
What can HRV tell us about pre-competitive anxiety and performance?
There has also been a large amount of research into the relationship between HRV and stress. The most common and important source of stress to athletes is pre-competitive anxiety and it is not known to what extent this impairs their performance.
Can daily HRV monitoring predict the incidence of injury in CrossFit™ athletes?
Although undoubtedly effective in developing strength and fitness, CrossFit also has a reputation for overuse injuries. Can tracking HRV reduce this risk?
Do fluctuations in training load lead to changes in heart-rate variability in elite rugby union players?
The third post in the series from Richard Beck, looking at the results of his study.
HRV guides trained cyclists to new performance highs
Who, what & why In a previous post we covered studies that show using HRV to be significantly better than a standard training program in improving the performance of club and recreational runners. Now, a new study by researchers from the Universities of Alicante...HRV response to breathing thin air
From a practical perspective, measuring your HRV at altitude and comparing to HRV at sea level can show how sensitive you are to the effects of altitude, and that if you are an elite level endurance athlete, you may be more sensitive than mere mortals! Here is the research.
Data collection with elite athletes – the challenges and recommendations
When friends told me that data collection was the hardest part of a dissertation, I didn’t believe them. However, trying to get 20 rugby players to collect HRV data as soon as they woke up every morning was definitely challenging.
The effects of overreaching on trained cyclists
Most endurance athletes are familiar with the term ‘overreaching’. That’s when you do high volumes of intensified training to cause supercompensation. But what actually happens to your body and what measures can you use to identify when overreaching has gone too far and become unproductive?
HRV as a measure of recovery in US College Football Players in-season
This study followed one looking at changes in HRV during preseason training camp and was designed to assess HRV changes during the early part of the competitive season to see whether the same effects on different positions occurred to the same extent.
Monitoring adaptation to training with HRV – what’s the best metric?
Athletes and their coaches are always looking for reliable, convenient ways to monitor how well their training is going and performance gains its producing. We know that morning HRV measures are affected by training programmes, but what should we look for to be effectively monitoring adaptation?
The effect of fluctuations in training load on heart rate variability in elite rugby union players
Masters student and Rugby Union player Richard Beck tells us about his dissertation using ithlete. Additional research into daily HRV responses to rugby training and matches is always welcome and Richard’s study will be a great addition.
Periodisation – A shake up to training adaptation theory?
The stress – adaptation response considered to underlie improvements in performance caused by training has hardly been questioned in almost 100 years. Now, a new and thought-provoking review paper questions the basis for this model, especially as it applies to human...Individualised cold water immersion to speed recovery
Who, what and why? Coldwater immersion baths are often used to speed up recovery in both endurance and team sports. It is thought to be effective by moving fluid back from muscle tissue into the circulation, preventing reduction in contractility and associated muscle...Physiological Responses to Spring Football in College Players
For over 5 years, the team of Andrew Flatt & Mike Esco have been doing sports performance HRV studies in collegiate athletes. Their latest project involves monitoring HRV in collegiate football players during spring camp. Players in different positions have...New Study: Investigating resilience and heart rate variability
Jasmine Raw, Dr Louise Leyland, Dr Carien van Reekum and Dr Michiko Sakaki This study is being performed at the University of Reading, UK to look further into the relationship between age, heart rate variability (HRV) and the ability to regulate emotions and...HRV guides recreational runners to faster 5k
What is really remarkable about this study is that those following HRV guided training time showed greater 5k performance improvement over their control group counterparts every time!
Upcoming HRV Research: Exploring Yoga’s Impact on the ‘Rest and Digest’ Mode
After many post-yoga musings with fellow yoga enthusiasts I became more and more curious about the subtle effects of this ancient practice on our modern way of life – diet, exercise, coping with the un-ending and ever-expanding list of ‘things to do’. It seems that...Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV
AF affects the performance of the heart, especially amongst older, less healthy people. But it also affects a significant percentage of Masters athletes. A large study over a 20 year period shows an interesting correlation between Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV. There are optimum values of HRV and resting heart rate, above and below which the chances of developing AF increase significantly.
Alcohol, HRV and athletic recovery – what you ought to know
Government guidelines in the UK suggest no more than 14 units per week, equivalent to a standard glass of wine or a pint of lower strength (4%) beer every day for maintaining health. But do these suggestions also apply to athletes in training?
HIIT for recreational runners – does it work?
Is HIIT a better use of your precious training time than longer sessions of continuous running? An important question for runners is ‘am I more likely to get injured with one type or the other?’
The ithlete Finger Sensor – convenient for sure, but is it accurate?
Who, what & why? In an earlier blog post Measurement of HRV we described how heart rate variability (HRV) measurements were originally performed using the Electro Cardiograph (ECG or EKG) and then later by Polar chest straps once those had been validated for beat...Research Summary: Cumulative fatigue in Elite cyclists during the Tour of Spain
Who, what & why? The three week long cycling Grand Tours (Italy, France, Spain) are well known to be amongst the hardest multi day endurance events in the World. But for most of us that will never experience one, how fatigued do the riders actually become, and...Heart Rate Variability and long life – what’s the connection?
HRV has been recognised as an index of stress and vulnerability to stress, so it’s no big surprise that researchers have been looking for possible relationships between higher HRV and a longer lifespan.
What happens to HRV when training load ramps up fast?
It is very important to take into account the trends reported by both the Week and Month Change indications, as these are the ones that will report an increasing and unsustainable imbalance between stress and recovery.
Fat adaptation for exercise – how far can it go?
Despite a great deal of discussion about, and anecdotal evidence to support the benefits of a low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) diet, there have been few studies examining the degree to which athletes’ metabolisms have been altered to take advantage of this dramatic change in fuel for exercise.
The role of monitoring the autonomic nervous system in musculoskeletal overuse injury research
PhD candidate Angela Spontelli Gisselman PT, DPT, OCS details the who, what and why of her own recent research in to overuse injuries and the ANS.
How well does HRV reflect overall health?
Who, what and why? Heart rate variability, or HRV, has long been considered to reflect overall health. Since the 1980s, Professor Steven Porges described HRV as an index not only of stress, but of vulnerability to stress. In other words, the higher someone’s HRV, the...Can HRV help detect concussion?
Who, what & why Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussion, are unfortunately an occupational hazard in many contact sports. As I write this, sad news was announced today that 23 year old rugby player Lilly Partridge had died following a head injury during...What Exactly is the Influence of Breathing Rate and Depth on HRV?
In our latest research summary, we take a look at one of the papers we reviewed carefully when designing ithlete back in 2009
An Interview with Chris Kilmurray
In this podcast ithlete founder Simon Wegerif talks to rider and coach Chris Kilmurray of Point1Athletic. As well as discussing his own HRV journey Chris provides examples of how different athletes respond to training techniques/volumes and importantly how HRV is a...Can your HRV Number be too High? Here’s the Research
Our latest research summary focuses on two studies from Yann Le Meur who sheds some light on how and when parasympathetic overreaching occurs.
Can your Morning HRV Predict your Cycling Performance?
Who, what, why? In two previous posts, we summarised studies that showed an almost unbelievable ability for night-time / morning heart rate variability (HRV) to predict the changes in performance of both swimmers and club runners. HRV and Swimming Time Trial Results...Heart Rate Variability and Health Part 3 – Workplace Stress
Summarising a very interesting piece of research looking at how work affects individuals in both psychological and physiological respects.
Nutrition, Stress and HRV
This week’s Tuesday Tip focuses on nutrition the impact on stress. Do you reach for those ‘convenience foods’ after a stressful day? If so take a look at some useful nutritional tips we’ve put together
Infographic: HRV Predicting Soccer Performance
Here is a more visual summary of the excellent recent research by Andrew Flatt and Dr Mike Esco looking at heart rate variability (HRV) being used to predict performance in collegiate women’s soccer...Research Summary: HRV shows how individual squad members adapt to group training practices
Summarising a very interesting piece of research looking at predicting team sports performance using heart rate variability (HRV).
Heart Rate Variability & Health – pt.2 Predicting chronic disease
Using the Framingham data this paper focuses on heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate as predictors of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and the so-called metabolic syndrome that also includes obesity and blood fat levels.
Research summary: A successful vs. an overtrained triathlete
Our latest research summary takes a look at a case study of heart rate variability (HRV) in two elite triathletes, one successful, one overtrained
Tuesday Tip: ithlete Pro convenience on your mobile
ithlete Pro is ideal for the user who values the data garnered via the ithlete mobile app and wants to extract greater insight from your daily reading.
HRV response to stress predicts degree of sleep disturbance
Research summary of an intelligent study trying to understand the relationship between daytime heart rate variability (HRV), HRV response to periods of worry and sleep disturbance.
Research Summary: Sleep quality is related to HRV before bed
Researchers at the University of Salzburg, Austria and the University of California wanted to test the idea that if daytime heart rate variability (HRV) is strongly linked to physical and mental health, would HRV also be a predictor of healthy sleep?
Can HRV be used as a more accurate, individualized measure of training load?
This is an interesting study that suggest that HRV has the potential to deliver a sport independent comparable training load number, a goal long sought after by sports scientists and coaches.
HRV predicts game performance of football players
A very interesting post looking at predicting team sports performance using heart rate variability
Energy drinks and HRV
A short summary of Dr Mike T. Nelson’s paper on the impact of a Monster energy drink on heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and ride time to exhaustion.