What Is HRV — And How Should You Use It?

Day 36: What Is HRV and How Should You Use It?

HRV stands for Heart Rate Variability. Not your heart rate — but the tiny variations in time between each heartbeat.

Here's a simple way to think about it: your heart doesn't beat like a metronome. The gap between beats changes slightly with every breath, every movement, every stress response. A higher HRV generally means your nervous system is flexible and recovered. A lower HRV means your body is dealing with something — fatigue, illness, stress, or overtraining.

Why the trend matters more than the number

The most important thing about HRV is not any single reading — it's the trend over time. Everyone has a different baseline. A reading that's "low" for one person might be perfectly normal for another.

What you're looking for is a sudden drop from your own personal average. If your HRV has been sitting at 55ms for the past two weeks and it suddenly drops to 38ms — that's a signal worth paying attention to, even if you feel fine. Your body often flags problems a day or two before you consciously notice them.

What to do when your HRV drops

• Don't push a hard training session — take it easier or rest
• Prioritise sleep that night
• Drink more water than usual
• Pay attention to how you feel over the next 24–48 hours

Your Garmin isn't predicting the future. But HRV is a genuinely useful signal from your body — one that most people completely ignore because they don't know what it means.

Where to find your HRV on Garmin

Open Garmin Connect → Health Stats → HRV Status. You'll see a 7-day graph and a status label (Balanced, Unbalanced, Low, or Poor). Add the HRV Status glance to your watch face for a quick daily check.

The bottom line

Check your HRV trend, not just the number. A few days of low HRV in a row is your body asking you to back off. Listen to it before it makes you listen.