You just woke up, rolled over, and checked your wrist. Your wearable tells you your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is 45. Yesterday it was 60. Now you're stressed. You start Googling "what's a good hrv score" because you want to know if you're out of shape, overtrained, or maybe coming down with the flu.
Stop right there.
The biggest mistake people make with HRV is comparing their number to their spouse, their gym partner, or some "average" chart they found on a fitness blog. It doesn't work that way. HRV is intensely, almost annoyingly, personal.
What's a good HRV score for a 25-year-old Olympic triathlete might be 110 milliseconds. For a healthy 50-year-old CEO, a "good" score might be 35. If that CEO hits 110, they aren't suddenly a super-athlete—they might actually be experiencing a massive sympathetic nervous system crash.
The Science Behind the Squiggly Lines
We need to get technical for a second, but I'll keep it simple. Your heart doesn't beat like a metronome. If your heart rate is 60 beats per minute, it doesn't beat exactly once every second. There are tiny fractions of a second difference between beats. One gap might be 0.97 seconds, the next 1.05 seconds.
✨ Don't miss: China's Mycoplasma Pneumonia Surge: Why It’s Actually Different This Time
That variation is HRV.
It’s controlled by your autonomic nervous system (ANS). You’ve got the sympathetic branch (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic branch (rest and digest). When these two are playing tug-of-war effectively, your HRV is usually higher. It means your body is responsive. It’s ready to pivot.
If your HRV is low, it often means one side—usually the "fight or flight" side—is dominating. Your body is stuck in a loop, focused on a stressor, and it has lost its ability to be flexible. It’s brittle.
Why There Is No Universal "Good" Score
Honestly, the range for "normal" is massive.
According to data from Whoop and Oura, elite athletes often see scores in the 100-200 range. But then you have perfectly healthy, active adults who live in the 40-70 range. Age is the biggest killer of high HRV scores. It’s a natural physiological decline. As we get older, the "elasticity" of our nervous system tends to stiffen up.
A 20-year-old with an HRV of 40 might be significantly overtrained or dehydrated. A 60-year-old with an HRV of 40 is basically a rockstar.
Gender plays a role too, though less than age. Then you have genetics. Some people just naturally have a higher vagal tone—the activity of the vagus nerve—which leads to higher HRV. You can’t out-run your DNA.
The Baseline Is Everything
Instead of asking what a good score is globally, you have to find your baseline. Most devices take about two weeks to calibrate. That average—your middle-of-the-road number—is your "good."
If your baseline is 55, then 55 is your "good."
When you see a 65, you're recovered. When you see a 40, something is wrong. Maybe you had two glasses of wine. Maybe you stayed up late watching a thriller. Maybe you're fighting a cold you don't even feel yet.
Real World Factors That Tank Your Score
I've looked at thousands of data points on this. Some of the stuff that kills your HRV is obvious. Some of it is weirdly subtle.
Alcohol is the absolute king of HRV destruction. Even one drink. If you have two beers at 7:00 PM and go to bed at 11:00 PM, your HRV will likely be 20% to 30% lower than your baseline the next morning. Your heart has to work harder to process the toxins while you sleep. Your "rest and digest" system is too busy "detoxing" to actually rest.
Then there’s late-night eating. Digestion is metabolically expensive. If your body is churning through a heavy steak at 2:00 AM, it’s not focusing on nervous system repair.
And let's talk about "Blue Light" and mental stress. If you're doom-scrolling news at midnight, your brain is sending signals to your adrenal glands that the world is ending. Your sympathetic nervous system stays "on." Your HRV drops.
Can You Actually Improve Your HRV?
Yes. But don't expect a 50-point jump overnight. This is a game of inches.
- Cardiovascular Fitness: This is the most reliable way. Increasing your $VO_2$ max through zone 2 cardio and occasional HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) strengthens the heart and increases vagal tone.
- Sleep Consistency: It's not just about getting 8 hours. It's about going to bed and waking up at the same time. The circadian rhythm is the master clock for the ANS.
- Breathwork: This is the "quick fix" for your nervous system. Techniques like resonance frequency breathing—roughly 5.5 breaths per minute—can acutely raise your HRV by stimulating the vagus nerve.
- Hydration: Blood volume matters. When you're dehydrated, your blood is thicker. Your heart has to work harder to pump it. Lower HRV follows.
The Nuance: When High HRV Is Actually Bad
Wait, high is always good, right?
Not necessarily. There’s a phenomenon called "parasympathetic overreach."
Sometimes, when you are extremely overtrained—we're talking about the brink of burnout—your body makes a last-ditch effort to force you to rest. Your HRV might skyrocket to 150% of your baseline. You feel like a zombie, but your watch says you're "100% recovered."
✨ Don't miss: How to make your metabolism higher: What the science actually says vs. the hype
This is why you have to listen to your body. If you feel like you got hit by a bus, but your HRV is high, don't go crush a heavy leg day. Your nervous system might be "overloaded" in a way the simple algorithm doesn't quite grasp yet.
How to Use HRV in Your Daily Life
Stop looking at the raw number. It's irrelevant.
Instead, look at the trend.
Is your 7-day moving average going up or down? If it's trending down over three weeks, you're likely accumulating "life stress." Maybe work is piling up. Maybe you're not sleeping as well as you think.
Use it as a check-in. If you wake up and your HRV is 15 points below baseline, maybe today isn't the day for a 10-mile run. Maybe it's a day for a long walk and some mobility work.
On the flip side, if your HRV is 10 points above baseline and you feel great, that’s your green light. Go for the PR.
Actionable Steps to Master Your HRV
The goal isn't to have the highest number in the world. The goal is to have a number that reflects a resilient, healthy you.
- Establish a clean baseline: For the next 7 days, no alcohol and no eating within 3 hours of sleep. See what your "true" number is.
- Track the "why": When you see a dip, tag it. Was it a late meal? A fight with a partner? A hard workout?
- Focus on the big three: Sleep, hydration, and consistent movement. Everything else—the supplements, the cold plunges, the expensive gadgets—is just 5% of the equation.
- Don't obsess: If tracking your HRV makes you anxious, that anxiety will literally lower your HRV. It's a cruel irony.
Heart rate variability is a tool, not a grade. A "good" score is one that moves in the right direction when you prioritize your health and tells you the truth when you aren't. Listen to what the gaps between your heartbeats are trying to tell you about your life.