Other studies outside the mental health realm – albeit mostly small and preliminary ones – have shown that such breathwork programmes can result in better sleep, lower blood pressure and lessened chronic pain.
Not all scientists are convinced that heart rate variability needs to be purposely altered, though.
Larsson considers heart rate variability “a metric to look at what the underlying conditions are”, but not something that needs to be directly treated.
Bhatt agrees. Heart rate variability often improves when people start adopting healthy behaviours, such as exercising or getting consistent sleep, but “it’s a chicken-and-egg sort of thing”, he says. “Is the heart rate variability improving, per se, what’s important? Or is it what led to it improving?”
How should you track heart rate variability?
Lots of consumer wearables track heart rate variability. But some are dramatically more accurate than others, cautions Karin Steere, an associate professor at the University of Puget Sound in Washington, US. Her research suggests devices that fasten around the chest do a better job than more common styles worn around the wrist.
No matter what kind of wearable you use, she says, remember that heart rate variability is most useful when assessed over time, not at a single moment. Heart rate variability is supposed to change throughout the day. When you’re out for a run, your heart rate variability will naturally look different from what it does at rest. So, looking at a single score will tell you less than watching how it changes over time.
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