Let’s talk about Heart Health!

Heart disease has been the number one killer each year for many years now. Each year over 600,000 people die from heart disease in the United States alone. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
The leading method to monitor and evaluate if a person is at risk for heart disease is test called heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is a measure of the difference in time between each heart beat. HRV is different from your actual heart rate. Heart rate is a measure of how many times your heart beats per minute.
Your heart may beat 60 times per minute, but it’s not actually beating once per second. Within that minute there may be 1.25 seconds between 2 beats, and .75 seconds between 2 other beats. The greater the difference the more “primed” your body is to execute at a high level.

Your ability to increase and decrease your heart rate is a great indicator of good heart health and overall body function. Having a high HRV means that your body is able to efficiently change its heart rate depending on the activity you are executing. Having a high HRV is like having one of those sports cars that can go 0 to 60 in 1.9 seconds.
When you’re thinking of HRV its easy to think that it’s just a function of the heart, but as you all should know now – the nervous system controls everything in your body and that means it controls your HRV too.

The autonomic nervous system is composed of the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest response), and the sympathetic nervous system (your fight or flight response). These two systems are simultaneously sending signals to your heart.

If your nervous system is balanced and free of any interference, your heart is being told by your parasympathetics to beat slower, while your sympathetic nervous system is telling your heart to beat faster. This is what causes the fluctuations in your heart rate; HRV.

Research proves time and time again that chiropractic adjustments directly influence your nervous system – improving HRV and increasing your hearts ability to recognize and adapt to stresses being placed on your body.
Scientific research shows that there is a direct and close connection between the spine and your nervous system. Nervous system imbalances will occur when your spine endures altered positioning or has a reduction in range of motion. These imbalances add stress to your nervous systems and will decrease your brains ability to properly recognize and send the proper signals to respond to the specific needs that your body has.
When there is interference in your nervous system it will result in a lowered HRV, making you more susceptible to heart related diseases. A study done in 2006 showed that people who were receiving chiropractic adjustments had improved HRV and had less of a chance of having heart disease and other health problems.

How to measure HRV:
The single best way to measure HRV is in a clinical setting by using a test called an electrocardiogram (ECG). This involves placing electrodes on your chest to record the electrical signal of your heart. But getting an ECG done isn’t the most user friendly option.

Thankfully we live in a world now where technology has become very advanced and you can get a watch that can measure your heart health. Watches can measure your HRV through a test called photoplethysmography (PPG). This technique uses LED lights and detectors that can sense changes in your blood volume on the surface of your skin.

Here is a list of a few of the watches that have the ability to track your HRV: Whoop band, Apple Watch, Oura ring, and FitBit to name a few.

How to improve HRV:
Im sure now you’re thinking-“how do I improve my HRV”.

Below are 5 tips that will drastically increase your HRV optimizing your heart health and will decrease your risk for heart disease in the future.

• Regular chiropractic adjustments- this will keep your nervous system functioning properly.
• Better sleep- limit TV and cell phone usage before bed, or get some blue light blockers.
• Breathing exercises- inhale 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds.
• Physical activity- adults ages 18-64 should be getting 150 minutes of moderate intensity
exercise weekly (brisk walking counts), and performing strength activities at least 2x per week.
• Stay hydrated- many studies show a correlation with poor hydration and a reduced HRV.
• Women should aim for at least 80 ounces per day, and men should aim for at least 112 ounces.

Adding these 5 things into your routine will create a resilient heart that is ready to execute any high demands that are placed on your body.