Inspire HR Heart rate variability

[kmgiuliano23]

So, heart rate variability just popped up in my FitBit App. I clicked it the first day and it didn’t have data yet. So I slept, and in the morning my variability was 26 milliseconds. My RHR is about 62 on average. I have a healthy heart.

I didn’t know much about HRV so I googled it and I’m finding the average is in the 60s - like it’s similar to your RHR since it’s milliseconds between beats. Having 26/27ms would mean my heart is not working well at all.

Am I missing something? Or is my FitBit likely wrong? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SeanFeb]

definitely. Totally useless number on the fitbit. I have the inspire 2.

My cardio fitness is 49 to 53

Moderator edit: merged reply

[SandyRocks]

I've been trying to find an app which can monitor the HRV more frequently as I have had variation in the past - Atrial Fib from and ECG. The main reason for getting this Versa 3 was to allow continous monitoring .. but this seems not possible. The indication seems to be that it can only, or best be done at night when all is quiet ... What does that mean?

[melissakerren]

Glad I found this thread - as I did the exact same thing. RHR - 56 and my HRV is 27ms and after researching had some concerns about it. This is a nightly average (whilst sleeping) and not taken at different times of the day so not entirely accurate as mentioned by a user below and technically only an average of your HRV whilst at your most restful period.  Well this is what comforted me :).

[judetheobscure]

Whilst continuing my further research on this subject (as you do) I found the following https://www.myithlete.com/how-your-hrv-varies-throughout-the-day/ , the second graph of which I found interesting (assuming I've interpreted it correctly! ).

[Seanpat]

I am in same boat. I just started with the HRV monitoring and it has me at 18?? Resting heart rate of 62 in very good shape. Strange. 

[SandyRocks]

These posts and the discussion on HRV is weirdly worrying. There appear to be a very wide range of reported HRV figures, from 18 to 40 to over 60! I've tried to unpack to calculation methodology that Fibit use for the calculation and it seems different to other approaches. So I am left trying to ascertain what is "reasonable", "dangerously low/high", "of concern", etc. Simply saying that changes from your normal are the key important output is not acceptable.

While Fitbit, and now Google, collate and "own" all our data, we actually cannot see our own information in any useful comparative sense. I would be interested in a compilation of data from users of the HRV to include:

Age, RHR, Card Fitness Level, Ave Weekly Dist, and HRV as a minimum .. and let's try understand what's going on - and whether we need to be worried about this. And indeed, whether this is a useful/helpful metric at all! Anyone up to this?

I'm happy to start with: 62yr old, 48RHR, 53, 90km week, HRV61

[missfitz73]

Good to know! 

I arrived at this page after a slightly worried Google as my HRV is apparently 21. I'm late 40s and relatively fit so it concerned me a bit, however I now feel reassured and also a bit silly for assuming there's some accuracy to the data. I wonder how many investigations have been carried out based on Fitbit's reports 🤔

Good to know! 

I arrived at this page after a slightly worried Google as my HRV is apparently 21. I'm late 40s and relatively fit so it concerned me a bit, however I now feel reassured and also a bit silly for assuming there's some accuracy to the data. I wonder how many investigations have been carried out based on Fitbit's reports 

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Shanathan]

Mine is between 12-17...im quite worried since my mom had a triple bypass at age 46...and im 43.  If these numbers are not accurate guidelines they might want to fix that bug...the stress of the thought is making my numbers go down lol

[Layloallstar]

Mine ranges from 11-40 but I also have heart problems and my EKG's are never normal

[SandyRocks]

I suspect that as with most of the data from the Fitbit, the HRV is simply a number meaningless, except for significant  changes. So we had a slightly different and more stressful weekend, and the HRV responded by dropping. Now back to 'normal'... For me. So I'm going to forget trying to compare with others, and only use it to identify major fluctuations which might be indicative of something underlying. 

And anyway, I'm fed up with trying to compare myself with others... That's a road to hell!

[Stu2122]

What's interesting with all the replies is the amount of training and activity that everyone here does. From what I gather low HRV indicates not just stress as in anxiety but cumulative load on the body. Exercising daily will keep the body's sympathetic system working and parasympathetic system won't kick in the same. 

I suspect if we had a week of rest all our numbers would go up. 

[dlightininglewi]

I pay for the whoop strap, also wear a fitbit. The hrv is only off by maybe 5 milliseconds. So most of these people are blowing smoke. I am a professional athlete and have compared both straps for months. The fitbit is for normal people not athletes who train more than an hour a day. That being said. Most of you guys are either out of shape and your work outs are so far apart that you get no gain or are to athletic for the fitbit. If your hrv is low it is because your sleep sucks, you drink to much or you are training to hard at one time to recover. 

[kmgiuliano23]

Hmm I don’t know about that…

I don’t drink caffeine or alcohol.

I sleep great (8-9 hours a night and good quality sleep).

I do cardio every other day (30 minutes), walk a lot everyday, and do some body weight strength training about 2-3 times a week (squats, lunges, etc.) for about 30 minutes when I do.

Regardless I’ve just determined the HRV measurement isn’t helpful for me so I just don’t pay attention to it anymore - and I’m fine with that!

[judetheobscure]

Nope! Not out of shape. Sleep is great. Don't drink. Just train averagely .... run 3x a week - usually around 3 miles -  play tennis and do some light weights or workouts if it's been raining. 

Even when I was injured so could do nothing except upper body work my hrv didn't change. 

I too am not bothering with it any more!

[SaltyKat]

I’m like many of these posts- mid-40s,female, healthy but HRV averages 30-40 nightly. I walk 90” daily, don’t use caffeine, ETOH, drugs, nicotine, and I eat farm to table. I’ve just had a holter and echo done and all is healthy. The cardio doc says I’m in good heart health. My stress is average BUT and this is the but that I wonder about for others, I’ve had lots of anxiety in my life. My sympathetic NS was in over drive from 10-25 years of age. I wonder if the damage has been done. Frustratingly I’ve researched how to reverse the effects and have been meditating for 6 months with NO CHANGE in HRV. Bummer!!!!! But perhaps this Fitbit tech is to blame!!!! Here’s hoping “it’s you not me!!!”

[Stu2122]

That's interesting, I have had depression recently and going back to teenage years with some serious bouts but I expected the HRV to rise as I feel in a good place now. I suspect the latent effect is real, and takes some shifting. I'm also presumably fatigued from the last bout and indeed the last 18 months.

The best I've ever felt was when my sons and I did a 12 day hike across country with no distractions, need to do something like that again. 

[Timgilp]

I agree that this is not accurate at all and I would go as far as to say it’s unhelpful and dangerous . I am 64 . My RHR is 58 and my BP averages 120/80. My HRV was as low as 12 a couple of weeks ago and only now is 28.according to my Fitbit app that’s a very low HRV and I could be very anxious about that. Plus I could be pestering my GP for no good reason . Other measurements- sleep, HR and RHR I have found pretty helpful and useful . My score on cardio by the way is 46-50 which is good to excellent according to Fitbit . 

[BluenoserCanuck]

Agree. And I have pestered my family physician; I am perfectly healthy according to all blood work and cardio/resp investigations. I'm ignoring the HRV for now. Mine has been between 11-16 for the entire time. Despite that, I sleep soundly with an average sleep score of 88, my BMI is 21, age 57, average 18,000 steps per day, cardio fitness 40-44, etc. No big life stressors, so it seems strange to have this HRV score reading so low. Oh well. This forum has been a bit of a comfort as it seems that others are having similar trouble.

[Timgilp]

I agree . Some comfort that we will all fall off our respective perches very soon 🤣🤣🤣
Joking ( hopefully) . It is comfortable to know we all feel the same .

Sent from my iPhone

[SandyRocks]

It's great scrolling back through this thread .. and the range of responses.

Clearly there are interesting philosophical takaway messages about HRV on the Fitbit app:

1. Your HRV level - Good, Bad, Who knows..

2. Change is a Sign! ..but cannot quite say if good or bad either!

3. All is relative to how I actually feel, so I'm going to enjoy my running/exercise and worry less (which seems to raise the HRV?).

I gave my Versa3 to my 34yr old fit son to wear overnight - the HRV jumped to 100 (from my normal 45 - 60)! So I interpret that to mean: don't compare yourself with your children 'cause you're just going to give yourself something else to worry about.

Enjoy each day.