Heart Rate Variability (HRV) patterns, or heart rhythms, are explained in chapter 2 of the book The HeartMath Solution by Doc Childre and Howard Martin with Donna Beech. The heart is the rhythm master, and the heart rhythms are emerging as the most dynamic and reflective of our inner emotional states.
To begin, heart rate variability is defined as a measurement of beat-to-beat changes of the heart rate. The heart rate speeds up and slows down as we have different experiences and different thoughts during our day. The heart rate even changes while we sleep. When we take our pulse, we get just a momentary glimpse of our heart rate, but if we are connected to a heart monitor, we can see how the rate changes. Our heart rate changes with stress, exercise, and even feeling balanced with slow breathing. The heart is made to vary. Contrary to earlier beliefs that a steady heart rate was an indicator of health, we now know that a loss of the naturally occurring variability in the heart rate is actually a sign of disease and a strong predictor of future health problems.
By measuring and analyzing HRV, researchers began to see how the heart encodes its messages to the brain and body. Heart rhythms are responsive to our thoughts and feelings. Simply counting backwards from 200 could be stressful and change the heart rhythm, where appreciation can also change them. What has been found is that the harmony of the rhythms, fast or slow, is the key. Disharmony in our heart rhythms leads to inefficiency and increased stress on the heart and other organs, while harmonious rhythms are more efficient and less stressful to the body. When we are angry or frustrated the sympathetic branch of our autonomic nervous system is trying to speed things up, while at the same time the parasympathetic branch it trying to slow it down, like stepping on the gas and brake in the car at the same time. Positive feelings bring both branches in sync and then they work in harmony, bringing beneficial effects to the body.
And why should you care? As we get older, our heart rate variability can decline and is an indicator of our physiological aging. The flexibility of our heart and nervous system reflects our health and fitness, so knowing this can be important.
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