One of the best predictors of mortality is heart rate variability. Join us today as Dr. Minni breaks down what heart rate variability means, how it is linked to pathology, and what you can do to increase yours! The episode begins with a clear discussion around the physiology governing heart rate and blood pressure, and how this links to heart rate variability. We hear about the pathologies linked to a low heart rate variability, and how tracking beat-to-beat is a much better indicator of cardiac health than using an average. Find out how autonomic balance impacts your health, and why a higher resting heart rate is usually linked to a lower heart rate variability, and thus increased mortality. Dr. Minni also gives some great tips and tricks on how you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system to increase your heart rate variability. Tune in for all this, and so much more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to heart rate variability and what to expect from this episode. 
• How the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems interact to adjust heart rate and blood pressure. 
• Why your heart rate is not a steady-state condition.
• The importance of studying the heart beat-to-beat rather than as an average. 
• The pathologies linked to a low heart rate variability. 
• What “autonomic balance” means for your health.
• Why higher resting heart rates are independent markers of mortality. 
• How the sympathetic system increases your heart rate. 
• Dr. Minni’s tips for how you can increase your parasympathetic nervous system stimulation and improve your heart rate variability. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Heart Rate Variability: New Perspectives on Physiological Mechanisms, Assessment of Self-regulatory Capacity, and Health risk

The Population-Based Longitudinal Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study (CHASRS): Study Description and Predictors of Attrition in Older Adults

Anchor Wellness Center

Dr. Minni Malhotra

Dr. Minni Malhotra Email

The Institute for Functional Medicine