Congratulations!
Keep it up, you’re almost half way to 121. 
I shouldn’t feel it necessary to do any of the those three things, right?
For context, I’ll soon be 72.
@len5742 With regards to this metric you may want to look at your trend and have it go upwards/or at least flat and not downward (in any stream way). Comparing to yourself might be most helpful.
What has your trend looked like?
I’m not sure what an outlier result as yours means, but hopefully it’s good (you might want to research it further though). Have you measured it with some other device that one specific oura ring?
—
As others have said elsewhere on the forum, this is only one measurement and you of course want to optimize things holistically.
Actually Watkins and HeartMath parted company because Heart Math was getting more spiritual and less scientific. He set up his own company in the UK. The vagus nerve works in both directions so impulses that begin in the brain can affect the heart (fight or flight) the opposite is also true, with the heart sending messages to the brain via the vagus nerve. You can control this process (and increase your HRV) by slowing your breathing rate and there are apps like Elite HRV providing biofeedback. A biofeedback course was first used by Russian cosmonauts to improve their mental state and the guy who designed the program came to Rutgers in US. Here is his detailed program:
4 Likes
HeartMath user. If you like health “gadgets” it’s one to purchase as it will increase HRV, if you USE IT!!!
Very reasonable cost.
1 Like
I just got the HeartMath Inner Balance device (I think it’s the newest one). I’ve had it for 5 days, so can’t say too much yet, but so far I’m impressed.
My new Garmin (Venu 3S) gives a lot more sleep stats, including overnight average & max HRV. I’m hoping that continued use of the HeartMath device will raise the average over time & especially, help with sleep.
1 Like
FWIW, I have the feeling that HRV is the latest thing to look at because the devices have come online to measure it. The good thing is that it does seem possible to modify it & so perhaps tracking it will have some real effect.
1 Like
It appears that the HearthMath phone app itself will provide feedback in principle (using a finger over the camera), but it didn’t ever get the coherence locked in for me. It might be a cheap way to try it though.
According to Oura, I should be dead… I’m often sub 20 
3 Likes
It takes time and attention to tune into coherence. Probably not the equipment.
That said it might prove useful to each you hands well both to clean and hydrate them to get a better reading from the camera of the phone.
When I consume alcohol, mine gets even lower. My ave HRV was 10 this past Friday night (with a max of 20), but ave HRV bounced back to the low 30s the next two nights (no drinking). Oura has shown me how my heart turns into a non-stop high speed pumping machine for most of the night after drinking in quantity. How hard my body works to process alcohol shocked me when I started to wear my Oura ring several years ago, and this is information I greatly appreciate. Sleeping with one’s heart pounding all night is not what I’d call good rest.
1 Like
We probably should discuss the effects of alcohol on a different thread. It has a number of effects including vasodilation. However, there are ways of reducing the negative effects other than just not drinking. But not drinking is a good idea for a number of days in the week.
2 Likes
Alcohol (and high intensity training, especially in the late afternoon) in my case also has the highest effect on HRV. I measure mine with a Garmin Watch, and it’s really all over the place!
I’m 57. My “baseline” is 42-65 RMSSD.
In recent weeks the highest overnight average as 82 (no drinking and no exercise the day before). The lowest was 29, after I passed a (sedated) coloscopy and endoscopy in the afternoon and then celebrated with several drinks too much the good results!
Right now, I’m on a vacation and drink about twice as much as I usually do – I want to enjoy myself, thus my HRV “7 day average” is “unbalanced” or “low”: in the low 40s or high 30’s, whereas when I have a healthier lifestyle it’s more in the mid to high 50s.
I don’t, however, see a strong correlation between HRV scores and subjective wellbeing and energy levels. Sometimes the Garmin tells me to not run or only do a recovery run because my HRV was low, on some of these days I end up doing a really great workout actually, pushing it and feeling great.
There is, however, a very clear inverse correlation between HRV and resting heart rate. RMSSD above 50 is linked to a RHR below 50 (44 at best), RMSSD below 50 gives a RHR above 50. With several successive days of drinking, RHR creeps up, from, say 50 to 52, then 55-57 and even 59-60. So I’m not sure if HRV adds anything to what resting heart rate already teaches us.
HRV i find is linked to whether the autonomous nervous system is in sympathetic states (low HRV) or parasympathetic (high). That may be an elite/polar thing in part, but it matches with how i feel.
I am ~83 and I consistently scored in the 10 - 19 age range. I have ZERO confidence in these readings. I don’t think there is enough real evidence to associate HVR with health.
( I use a Polar Chest strap) Maybe I am an anomaly, I don’t think so. IMO: Except in some special cases HRV is not a valid indicator of health.
3 Likes
HRV is something you are supposed to compare with yourself apparently and not others.
1 Like
Two lines of thought in this thread.
‘HRV declines with age and is a sign of aging.’
‘Your level of HRV is unique to you, and only the trend matters. Absolute level is irrelevant.’
OK then.
Mostly agree, but would frame the second one more along the lines of
‘Your level of HRV is to a large extent unique to you, and it’s mostly the trend matters.’
And I would add a third one
’People can generally increase their HRV by a lot if they work to achieve that, and it is likely a good part of an optimal, holistic longevity playbook to do so.’
3 Likes
I use the Athlytic app mentioned by others and it looks at HRV and RHR to score your workout recovery. I only started taking Rap last Wednesday and my recovery tanked to 30% over a few days. This week it went down to 18% recovery with HRV 37% lower than 60 day average. Last time I saw numbers this low I was sick with Covid so I was a little concerned! I am hoping the numbers go the other way as that seems to be the goal!
1 Like
Some people have reported previously that they see a temporary decrease in HRV immediately after taking rapamycin. But some have seen increases. See this thread: Rapamycin and HRV
2 Likes