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What if your heart held the key to managing stress? Heart rate variability, or HRV, might be your body’s best-kept secret for staying resilient and bouncing back from stressors. Leah Lagos, Psy.D, psychologist and biofeedback expert, joined the mindbodygreen podcast to explain the power of HRV and what we can start doing today to optimize this powerful health metric.
The basics
Lagos emphasizes that the key to boosting HRV lies in understanding what makes your nervous system thrive. She refers to these factors as your amplifiers and subtracters—the lifestyle habits that either elevate or reduce your HRV.
While prioritizing quality sleep, staying active, and limiting alcohol intake are well-known ways to support HRV, Lagos has pinpointed some powerful, lesser-known techniques to boost this important metric even further.
Here are three science-backed methods to help you elevate your HRV and enhance your resilience every day:
1.
The power of breathwork
It sounds simple, but breathwork is one of the most effective tools Lagos recommends for boosting HRV. Breathwork trains your autonomic nervous system, helping your body become more adaptable to stress by strengthening the barrier reflex that regulates your heart rate and blood pressure. Lagos even has a specialized 10-week protocol: two 15-minute sessions daily, breathing at your personal “resonance frequency.”
If you’re struggling to find this frequency for yourself, you can start with a general pattern—inhale for four seconds and exhale for six seconds. Over time, this practice can help you feel more in control of your stress response, giving you the power to keep calm in high-stress situations.
2.
Fine-tune your food timing, type, and amount
Your diet doesn’t just affect how you feel but also how your autonomic nervous system performs, influencing HRV in surprising ways. Research links HRV benefits with the Mediterranean diet, fish consumption, and multivitamin use, showing that a nutrient-dense approach can support resilience. But timing is crucial too.
Lagos recommends finishing your last meal at least three hours before bed. This habit allows your body to wind down for restorative sleep, maximizing HRV improvement overnight.
If you’re looking to personalize your nutrition for HRV further, try experimenting with different diets—perhaps increasing omega-3-rich foods or integrating nutrient-packed greens—and track your HRV to see how your body responds.
To see a real-life example, check out how our founder and co-CEO, Jason Wachob, tweaked his diet and dramatically improved his HRV.
3.
Build a sense of safety into your life
The impact of feeling safe1 goes deeper than we think. Lagos highlights that environments where we feel secure—whether with friends, family, or alone in a space we love—activate our parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” mode. This activation not only boosts HRV but also lowers stress levels.
One fascinating aspect? Studies show that parents can increase their HRV just by spending quality time with their kids. This positive effect happens because the autonomic systems of parents and children tend to sync up, especially in safe, low-stress situations, like playing or resting together. So whether it’s a family night, a cozy spot at home, or time outdoors, intentionally creating safe, calming moments can work wonders for your HRV.
The takeaway
Boosting your HRV isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s about finding and refining what best supports your body’s nervous system.
Lagos stresses the value of tracking your HRV trends over time rather than fixating on daily fluctuations. By integrating practices like breathwork, optimizing your nutrition, and fostering a sense of safety, you can naturally stabilize your HRV and strengthen your “stress muscle.”
This tailored approach not only enhances your adaptability to stress but also paves the way for long-term well-being, empowering you to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and ease.
