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Heart Rate Variability Testing
WHAT IS HEART RATE VARIABILITY?
Have you ever wondered what the health impact of a stressful day, or eating undenatured foods can do to your body? Will you perform well during your long run tomorrow morning or your full work schedule? Is there anything you can do today that would improve your ability to have a better day moving forward?
Heart Rate Variability testing may be the piece of data that could help you answer these questions. HRV is an interesting and noninvasive way to identify autonomic nervous system imbalances. If a person’s system is in more of a fight-or-flight mode, the variation between subsequent heartbeats is low. If one is in a more relaxed state, the variation between beats is high. In other words, the healthier the ANS the faster you are able to switch gears, showing more resilience and flexibility. Over the past few decades, research has shown a relationship between low HRV and worsening depression or anxiety. A low HRV is even associated with an increased risk of a decline in health.
WHAT IS A HEART RATE VARIABILITY TEST?
The HRV test lasts about 8-9 minutes and is completely painless. We will place a strap around your chest that monitors 448 heartbeats—the first half lying down on your back, and the second half standing. The machine measures the intervals between each heartbeat.
Heart Rate Variability is well researched and provides a quick and easy assessment of the Autonomic Nervous System function. The autonomic nervous system is the part of our nervous system that controls the functions that we usually have no conscious control over. We have no conscious control over these functions because they are essential for life and can’t depend on us “remembering” to perform them.
What we commonly see with this test are people whose SNS (gas pedal) is too high, meaning too much inability to stay healthy in the face of stress, and whose PSNS (brake pedal) is too low, meaning that the systems of digestion, metabolism, elimination and so forth, are depressed and not functioning as well as needed to promote health. If you have a depressed PSNS it doesn’t matter how hard you diet, or how many supplements you take or how much exercise you do. A depressed PSNS will get in the way of these things working optimally. In addition, a weak PSNS can often be a sign of prolonged emotional stress that may be hidden.
Monitoring the autonomic nervous system in fact is an accepted measure of health of the nervous system. It has been found to be extremely helpful in monitoring your health status as you progress through our programs.
HRV testing is a part of your Nutrition Response Testing evaluation and personalized nutrition program. HRV testing can also be scheduled separately.
Book online or call for your HRV appointment today at 830-322-3022.