The Heart Rate Variability Podcast

In this special "Year in Review with a Twist," we shift our focus from the weekly news cycle to the big picture. We examine the most influential, highly cited research of 2024 to understand how these findings are revolutionizing clinical thinking and personal wellness in 2025.

HRV is no longer just a metric on a wearable; it has become the definitive framework for understanding resilience, adaptation, and human regulation.

The Anxiety Biomarker: Why 2024 research confirms HRV as a "top-down" signal of how the brain calms itself and its potential for identifying anxiety subtypes.

Combatting "Inflammaging": Exploring the link between vagal tone and chronic low-grade inflammation in aging populations.

The Autonomic Conditioning of Exercise: How physical activity trains the nervous system, not just the heart muscle.

Context is King: A deep dive into the 2024 "Sensitivity Review" highlighting how noise, heat, and even genetics must be accounted for in accurate readings.

Biofeedback Frontiers: From COPD and Spinal Cord Injury to classroom attention, we look at how HRV training is breaking new ground in rehabilitation and education.

Psychophysiology & Mental Health (2024): A landmark review synthesizing decades of data to establish HRV as a marker of prefrontal cortex regulation over the amygdala in anxiety disorders.

Gerontology & Immunology (2024): Research into "Inflammaging," positioning HRV as a non-invasive biomarker for biological age rather than just chronological age.

Sports Science & Performance (2024): A systematic review on HRV-guided training, emphasizing individual baselines over population norms for sustainable athletic performance.

Clinical Biofeedback Trials (2024): Notable studies involving COPD patients and those with chronic spinal cord injuries, proving the feasibility of HRV training even in complex physiological cases.

Neurodevelopmental Interventions (2024): Exploratory research into using HRV biofeedback for anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder and attention-building in school-aged children.

"The question is no longer whether HRV is relevant, but how we apply it thoughtfully and responsibly. Autonomic flexibility is the foundation of emotional resilience, physical health, and cognitive performance."

This episode is brought to you by Optimal HRV. Bridge the gap between data and action with evidence-based tools designed for individuals, clinicians, and organizations. Explore our professional dashboards and HRV training e-gift cards today. Learn more at www.optimalhrv.com

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing your health or wellness routines.

In this episode, Stephanie White joins Matt Bennet to explore the nature and uses of Very High Frequency Heart Rate Variability.

This Week in Heart Rate Variability: Air Pollution, Spiritual Wellbeing, Consciousness & Clinical Prediction

In this episode of The Heart Rate Variability Podcast – This Week in HRV, we expand the horizons of autonomic science. From the hidden impact of environmental pollutants to the neuro-spiritual connection of the "heart-brain axis," we examine how HRV serves as a vital bridge between our environment, our consciousness, and our clinical outcomes.

Environmental Stressors: New research into how air pollution and lead exposure synergistically drive autonomic dysfunction.

The Spirituality-HRV Link: Exploring Bayesian modeling of Heartbeat Evoked Potentials (HEP) as a biomarker for mental and spiritual wellbeing.

HRV as a Clinical Life-Line: A deep dive into a major meta-analysis confirming HRV’s power to predict mortality in heart failure patients.

Mapping Consciousness: How 24-hour HRV monitoring is helping clinicians differentiate between unresponsive wakefulness and recovery in patients with disorders of consciousness.

Precision and Reliability: Critical insights into the reliability of short-term HRV measurements across different body positions and environments.

Environmental Research (2025) — Air Pollution & Chronic Lead Exposure: The synergistic impact of environmental toxins on cardiac autonomic function. Link to Study

Cogent Psychology (2025) — Bayesian Modeling of HEP and HRV: An exploratory study on using HRV and heart-brain communication as biomarkers for spiritual health. Link to ResearchGate

Scientific Reports (2025) — The Multidimensional Perspective of HRV: A comprehensive look at the brain-heart axis (BHA) and its role in predicting multi-system disease. Link to Nature

Cureus (2025) — HRV as a Predictor of Mortality in Heart Failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prognostic value of HRV in cardiovascular care. Link to Cureus

Scientific Reports (2025) — Clinical Reliability of Short-Term HRV Insights into the consistency of HRV measurements in dual-environment and dual-position settings. Link to Nature

Acta Neurologica Belgica (2025) — HRV in Disorders of Consciousness Using 24-hour HRV metrics to identify emergence from minimally conscious states (PMID: 41389121). Link to PubMed

Psicothema (2025) — Autonomic Modulation & Psychological States Examining the latest protocols for integrating HRV into psychological and behavioral health assessments. Link to ScienceDirect

The "Heart-Brain Axis" is more than a concept—it is a measurable reality. Whether we are assessing the impact of global environmental changes, the recovery of a patient’s consciousness, or the depth of a person’s spiritual wellbeing, HRV provides the high-fidelity data needed to understand the body's total adaptive capacity.

This episode is sponsored by Optimal HRV, providing evidence-based tools for measuring and training heart rate variability for individuals, clinicians, and organizations. Now offering e-gift cards for HRV training, app access, and professional dashboards.

Learn more at www.optimalhrv.com

In this episode of The Heart Rate Variability Podcast – This Week in HRV, we explore how the autonomic nervous system function connects metabolic disease, genetic disorders, targeted neural interventions, and the future of biofeedback science.

How Metabolic Syndrome drives chronic sympathetic overactivation and reduced HRV

Experimental evidence showing how the stellate ganglion block directly alters HRV and sympathetic tone

New data validating dysautonomia in Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome using HRV and autonomic testing

Why HRV is emerging as a critical clinical and research biomarker

A preview of the 2026 AAPB Annual Scientific Meeting and why it matters for clinicians and researchers

Cureus (2025) — Autonomic Nervous System Dysregulation in Metabolic Syndrome
https://www.cureus.com/articles/431819-autonomic-nervous-system-dysregulation-in-metabolic-syndrome-an-association-with-hypertension-and-cardiovascular-risk#!/

Autonomic Neuroscience (2025) — Selective Sympathetic Action on HRV After Stellate Ganglion Block
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1566070225001298

Cureus (2025) — Heart Rate Variability and Intrinsic Autonomic Coupling in Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome
https://www.cureus.com/articles/429326-heart-rate-variability-and-intrinsic-autonomic-coupling-in-ehlers-danlos-syndrome?score_article=true#!/

Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)
About AAPB: https://aapb.org/about
2026 Annual Conference: https://aapb.starchapter.com/meetinginfo.php?id=43&ts=1763415344

Heart rate variability is a universal marker of resilience, translating metabolic stress, genetic vulnerability, and neural interventions into measurable physiological signals. HRV is no longer just a wellness metric—it's a clinical and scientific lens into autonomic health.

This episode is sponsored by Optimal HRV, providing evidence-based tools for measuring and training heart rate variability for individuals, clinicians, and organizations. Now offering e-gift cards for HRV training, app access, and professional dashboards.
Learn more at www.optimalhrv.com

Episode 15 – This Week in Heart Rate Variability

Welcome to this week's exploration of the latest HRV science. In Episode 15, we discuss nine newly published studies that expand our understanding of HRV in mental health, physiology, chronic illness, and digital health innovation. This episode highlights remote biofeedback, pediatric heart dynamics, pregnancy and thyroid status, elite performance, cardiac rehabilitation, personalized training prediction, global research trends, autoimmune flare detection, and neurostimulation safety.

Featured Studies:

Remote HRV Biofeedback and Mental Health

“Efficacy and Methodology of Remote Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Interventions for Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”

Vann-Adibe et al., Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (2025)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-025-09750-w

Pediatric HRV and Cardiac Complexity

“Age-dependent patterns of cardiac complexity unveiled by topological data analysis of pediatric heart rate variability”

Domínguez-Monterroza et al., PLOS ONE (2025)

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337620

Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy and HRV

“Comparative Evaluation of Thyroid Profiles and Heart Rate Variability in Newly Diagnosed Subclinical Hypothyroid and Euthyroid Pregnant Women”

Singh et al., Cureus (2025)

https://www.cureus.com/articles/427419-comparative-evaluation-of-thyroid-profiles-and-heart-rate-variability-in-newly-diagnosed-subclinical-hypothyroid-and-euthyroid-pregnant-women?score_article=true#!/

Performance Optimization in Firefighters

“Mental imagery and breathing exercises integrated into a standardized warm-up routine enhance sympathetic activation and optimize muscular performance in firefighters”

Biéchy et al., PLOS ONE (2025)

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337431

Innovative Respiratory-Synchronized Pacemaker

University of Auckland research feature: “Pacemaker could help the heart heal”

Paton, Ben-Tal, Nogaret, and Stiles

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/12/02/pacemaker-could-help-heart-heal.html

HRV and Personalized Fitness Modeling

“Advancing training effectiveness prediction in mass sport through longitudinal data: A mathematical model approach based on the Fitness-Fatigue Model”

Wang et al., PLOS ONE (2025)

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337824

Global Trends in HRV Research

“A Two-Decade Bibliometric Analysis of Heart Rate Variability Research (2005–2024)”

Sharma et al., Psychiatry Research (2025)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471015325001254?dgcid=author

Predicting Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares with Wearables

“Wearable devices detect physiological changes that precede and are associated with symptomatic and inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis flares”

Sharma et al., Scientific Reports (2025)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-29748-y

Safety of Paired Associative Stimulation in SCI Rehab

“Heart rate variability in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury during a single session of paired associative stimulation”

Haakana et al., Scientific Reports (2025)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-25802-x

In this episode, Matt Bennett talks with Dr. Richard Harris about his article: Single-case report: dynamic changes in cardiac function during shamanic journeying and Qigong meditation

Read the full article here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608442/full

In this episode, we dive deep into the latest research from late 2025 and explore the exploding field of Psychophysiology. We look at how Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is becoming the "master key" for detecting everything from complex emotions to psychosis. We also break down a massive new study on how antidepressants shift your physical metabolism, the effectiveness of "light-guided" breathing for office stress, and how VR gaming affects your autonomic nervous system.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

Clinical Psychiatry & Pharmacology

Breathing & Interventions

The Science of Stress & Emotion (HRV)

Physiology in Action (VR & Exercise)

This Week’s Studies:

Cardiac-vagal rhythm echoes on the heartbeat's mechanosensory imprint in the brain
Candia-Rivera & Chavez — Communications Biology
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-08969-x

Box breathing or six breaths per minute: Which strategy improves athletes' post-HIIT cardiovascular recovery?
Kasap & Aydin — PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336615

The tolerance-related psychology and dynamic activity in the peripheral nervous system of Internet Gaming Disorder
Chi & Hsiao — BioMedical Engineering Online
https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12938-025-01471-9

Heart rate variability biofeedback in adults with chronic spinal cord injury: a randomised feasibility study
Schoffl et al. — BMC Neurology
https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-025-04423-x

Video link: https://youtu.be/3vn_TF-ezTE

In this episode of The Heart Rate Variability Podcast, host Matt Bennett sits down once again with Stephanie White, HRV coach and educator known affectionately as “the HRV Guru.” Together, they dive deep into advanced heart rate variability concepts—especially heart rate fragmentation (HRF), very high frequency (VHF) activity, and new HRV metrics that can reveal hidden issues in autonomic health.

Stephanie shares insights from her work with clinicians, coaches, and patients—explaining why sometimes clients can’t reach the “Optimal Zone” in the Optimal HRV app and what physiological patterns might be behind it. She also outlines the importance of minerals, CO₂ balance, and careful data interpretation when working with HRV readings.

Stephanie’s Background – Her recovery journey from chronic illness using HRV biofeedback and her work with VCU’s Comprehensive Autonomic Center.

Why HRV Data Sometimes “Doesn’t Make Sense” – How heart rate fragmentation can hijack HRV signals and confuse traditional measures like RMSSD.

RMSSD vs. SDNN – Why SDNN may better capture resonance frequency breathing and coherent sine wave patterns.

Understanding Heart Rate Fragmentation (HRF) – How alternating or sawtooth heart rhythms create misleading HRV statistics and mask underlying autonomic issues.

Introducing “Very High Frequency (VHF)” – What happens when HRF shifts heart power above 0.4 Hz, and why current HRV software often misses it.

The Role of CVNN and PSS – New or underused HRV metrics that can quantify fatigue, allostatic load, and fragmentation.

Practical Clinical Applications – How coaches and clinicians can identify HRF, interpret data accurately, and help clients avoid “false high” HRV readings.

Mineral Balance and HRV Health – Why calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium are crucial for healthy cardiac rhythm and recovery.

Building an HRV Coaching Certification Pathway – Stephanie’s vision for “HRV Behavioral Health Coaches” and measurable, data-driven client progress.

Insomnia and HRV in Medical Students
Publication: Cureus
Title: “Insomnia and Its Impact on Psychomotor Reactivity, Autonomic Function, and Psychological Well-Being Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study”
Authors: Dhanusri, Rajalakshmi, Prakash, Bharadwaj, and Harichandrakumar
Key Finding: The severity of insomnia among medical students was associated with slower reaction times and higher psychological distress, while short-term resting HRV remained largely unchanged. Early cognitive and mood changes appear before resting HRV declines, underscoring that subjective fatigue and attention lapses can be earlier indicators than RMSSD or SDNN.
Link: https://www.cureus.com/articles/427559-insomnia-and-its-impact-on-psychomotor-reactivity-autonomic-function-and-psychological-well-being-among-medical-students-a-cross-sectional-analytical-study#!/

Meta-Analysis: HRV in Insomnia Disorder
Publication: Sleep and Breathing
Title: “Heart rate variability in patients with insomnia disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis”
Authors: Zhao and Jiang
Key Finding: Across 17 studies and 921 participants, insomnia showed only mild, non-significant reductions in HRV measures such as SDNN and HF-norm. The review emphasizes methodological variability and suggests that chronic insomnia’s autonomic signature is subtle and context-dependent.
Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11325-022-02720-0

Sleep Deprivation and HRV
Publication: Frontiers in Neurology
Title: “Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
Authors: Zhang, Niu, Ma, Wei, Zhang, and Du
Key Finding: Eleven trials revealed consistent sympathetic dominance after sleep deprivation, as evidenced by decreased RMSSD, increased LF and LF/HF, and stable SDNN. These findings reinforce that RMSSD is the most sensitive marker of HRV for acute sleep loss and stress load.
Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1556784/full

COMISA: Insomnia and Sleep Apnea Combined
Publication: Scientific Reports
Title: “Heart Rate Variability Analysis in Comorbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea (COMISA)”
Authors: Martín-Montero, Vaquerizo-Villar, García-Vicente, Gutiérrez-Tobal, Penzel, and Hornero
Key Finding: Using over 5,000 overnight ECGs, COMISA patients showed reduced parasympathetic tone while awake and increased sympathetic drive during sleep. This dual imbalance likely explains elevated cardiovascular risk when both disorders coexist.
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02541-7

Depression and HRV in Students
Publication: Kompasiana
Title: “Diagnosis of Depression Based on SDNN Indicator of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in Students”
Author: Widya P.
Key Finding: In 120 university students aged 18–25, PHQ-9 depression scores correlated negatively with SDNN (r = –0.48, p < 0.001). An SDNN threshold of 50 ms identified moderate-to-severe depression with 82% sensitivity and 77% specificity, suggesting SDNN as a potential physiological adjunct to psychological screening.
Link: https://www.kompasiana.com/ola7155/690eaadfed641503d4754d93/diagnosis-of-depression-based-on-sdnn-indicator-of-heart-rate-variability-hrv-in-students#google_vignette

Post-PCI Inflammation and Wearable Data Integration
Publication: PLOS ONE
Title: “Multi-modal inflammatory risk modeling in post-PCI patients using behavioral and physiologic data”
Author: Sanghee Kim
Key Finding: In 312 post-PCI patients, combining wearable data (steps, sleep efficiency, HRV, SpO₂) with inflammatory biomarkers improved the prediction of hs-CRP reduction. The Transformer-based model achieved an AUC of 0.88, identifying step count and HRV as leading behavioral predictors of inflammation control.
Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0336394

Optimal HRV — The app designed to make HRV tracking practical.
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