Introduction
HRV can be useful for recovery trends, but consumer devices should not be treated as diagnostic tools.
Research Summary
HRV is a helpful framework for tracking recovery and stress, but it requires context: sleep, illness, alcohol, training load, and measurement method can all affect readings.
What This Means for Consumers
Use HRV to guide questions about recovery, not to make rigid decisions from one score.
References
- Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP. An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms. Frontiers in Public Health. 2017. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258. PubMed/source