Presentation Skills HQ

Overview
HRV, heart rate variability is the degree of fluctuation in the length of the intervals between heart beats. (Malik & Camm, 1995)

HRV has been used in medicine for many years and in more recent years in sport as an indicator of stress when to train and when not to train.

Technology has advanced so quickly that  Executive Coaches now have access to the technology that measures HRV.  This enables them to measure a clients stress levels in a non-invasive way and in real time. After interpreting the data, the coach can then ascertain methods by which these stress levels can be addressed.
Depending on the software used, the interpretation of the results can be either self evident or may require a small degree of analysis.
Other Resources
Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work?
In recent years there has been substantial support for heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) as a treatment for a variety of disorders and for performance enhancement (Gevirtz, 2013). Since conditions as widely varied as asthma and depression seem to respond to this form of cardiorespiratory feedback training, the issue of possible mechanisms becomes more salient. The most supported possible mechanism is the strengthening of homeostasis in the baroreceptor (Vaschillo et al., 2002; Lehrer et al., 2003). Recently, the effect on the vagal afferent pathway to the frontal cortical areas has been proposed. In this article, we review these and other possible mechanisms that might explain the positive effects of HRVB.  More here
HRVtraining
It’s pretty well documented that regular aerobic exercise can result in an increase in resting HRV. Generally, you can expect no change or even a slight increase in HRV the day following low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise. However, with higher intensity training, HRV can take up to 48-72 hours to return to baseline, depending on intensity, duration, training status, fitness level, age, gender, etc. (Stanley et al. 2014). more here

 

Getting Stronger
Stressed out?

There’s a surprisingly simple but little-known technique for measuring your in-the-moment ability to handle physical, mental and emotional stress.  more here

Psychology Today
What is heart rate variability?

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological marker of how we experience and regulate our emotions. But before we discuss HRV and emotion regulation in greater detail, let’s take a quick biology refresher. Whenever we are confronted with potential dangers (e.g., walking alone at night, being chased by a rabid dog), we enact a fight-or-flight response in which our heart rate (HR) spikes up, our breathing gets shallower, our muscles tense up, and so on. read more here..

Biocom Technologies
The origin of heartbeat is located in a right atrium wall of the heart, where a group of specialized cells forms so‐called “sine node” that continuously generates electrical impulses spreading all over the heart muscle through specialized pathways and causing well‐synchronized heart muscle contraction leading to its proper blood pumping. read more here…

HeartMath
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) (Figure 1) is the portion of the nervous system that controls the body’s visceral functions, including action of the heart, movement of the gastrointestinal tract and secretion by different glands, among many other vital activities. It is well known that mental and emotional states directly affect the ANS. Read more here

ithlete
Monitoring Heart Rate Variability is so much more valuable than just monitoring heart rate.

Heart rate variability (usually known as HRV) is a relatively new method for assessing the effects of stress on your body. It is measured as the time gap between your heart beats that varies as you breathe in and out. Research evidence increasingly links high HRV to good health and a high level of fitness, whilst decreased HRV is linked to stress, fatigue and even burnout. Read more here

American Heart Association
The last two decades have witnessed the recognition of a significant relationship between the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular mortality, including sudden cardiac death.1 2 3 4 Experimental evidence for an association between propensity for lethal arrhythmias and signs of either increased sympathetic or reduced vagal activity has spurred efforts for the development of quantitative markers of autonomic activity. Read more here

SweetWater
Stress and Heart Rate Variability. All sorts of things can cause stress, from physical exertion to a bad day at work. There’s “good” stress (like receiving a big promotion), and there’s “bad” stress (like having a traffic accident). For the purposes of this discussion, “stress” means bad stress. Read more here
Technical Explanation

Heart Rate Variability – Farid Medleg