It’s a truism, health-wise, that we can’t change what we don’t track. So keeping on top of our stats is an important part of the Age-Well journey for Annabel and I. I keep an ongoing record of routine tests like cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings, blood glucose and Vitamin D levels. In addition, I have an Oura ring (like a Fitbit but for my finger) that tracks my movement and sleep. So far, so good – that’s pretty easy to understand. But when my daughter looked at the app linked to my ring and asked me what the reading for Heart Rate Variability meant, I had to confess I only had a vague idea.

Since then, I’ve been doing my research. Heart Rate Variability (or HRV) isn’t the same as heart rate – the number of beats per minute. HRV refers to the gaps between those beats, the steadiness of the heartbeat, as it were. A higher HRV number indicates a greater range of gaps between the beats which may relate to a better response to stress, and better cardiovascular health. People under stress usually have less variation between their heart beats.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Our HRV is controlled by the autonomic nervous system which regulates many key tasks in the body, including blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. It’s divided into two sections – the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems – also known as the fight-or-flight and the rest-and-digest mechanisms. When the fight or flight mechanism is triggered it seems to even out the gaps between our heartbeat, leading to a lower HRV reading. Looking back over the data on my magic ring, I can see that my HRV is lower in stressful weeks and higher when I’m less busy, or on holiday.

But what’s a low reading, and what’s a high one? There’s a wide range of readings, measuring the gaps between heartbeats in milliseconds (ms). A normal HRV for a twenty-something is anything between 55ms and 105ms; but for a sixty-something, it’s between 25ms and 45ms. According to my ring, I have been as low as 23ms on a stressed day, and as high as 55ms on a relaxing holiday.

HOW TO IMPROVE HRV

I want to improve my readings, if I can. Higher variability means better recovery, which means better autonomic function and, usually, better heart health. To do this, I’ll need to manage stress, keep exercising, make my sleep consistent, keep well hydrated, breathe well (more on that in a moment) and keep my sugar intake low. All things I try to do, but could always do better.

I could also think about drinking watermelon juice: research published last year in the journal Nutrients found that drinking half a litre of a day has a protective effect on HRV. I’m not sure that I really want to be drinking a huge glass of watermelon juice each day, but the science behind this is interesting: watermelon (and beetroot) helps make nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide helps our blood vessels relax and expand, improving cardiovascular health and supporting healthy HRV. As a side note, there are some great watermelon and beetroot recipes in the Age-Well archives – try watermelon and feta salad (pictured above), beetroot hummus, smoked mackerel and beetroot bruschetta, and beetroot and sweet potato soup.

MOUTH TAPING

I’ve recently taken up another simple way of improving my nitric oxide levels: mouth taping when I sleep. Annabel and I have both experimented with this in the past, with mixed results, but I think I’ve cracked it this time. When we breathe through our noses, we produce nitric oxide in our sinuses. I know I have a tendency to mouth breathe at night, but the taping stops that. It was a little strange at first, but I’ve got used to it now. I’m using a brand of tape called Respire, which work better than others I’ve tried. It’s difficult to tell if my sleep has improved as I’m travelling in Australia and New Zealand at the moment, so my circadian rhythms are out of kilter. But I’ve coped better with the dreaded jet lag on this trip than on previous ones, so perhaps the mouth taping helps.

I’m reading James Nestor’s book, Breath, on my travels, which is a fascinating look at how we’ve lost our ability to breathe correctly, and the deleterious impact that has on our health. Annabel’s a big fan of this book and recommends the breathing exercises at the end – I haven’t quite got there yet. But I have read Nestor’s take on mouth taping. Initially sceptical, he became a convert when he found it eliminated his snoring and allowed him to sleep soundly. In the book, he explains that, ‘nasal breathing alone can boost nitric oxide sixfold.’ And, backing this up, research by Florida State University, published last month, found that nasal breathing supports heart rate variability. So hopefully I’m on course to improve the HRV readings on my Oura ring this year!

Have you tried mouth taping? Let us know in the comments.

JOIN US ONLINE AND IN PERSON

SLEEPLESS:

While I’ve been travelling, I’ve also had the chance to read Annabel’s book, Sleepless, and it’s brilliant! A fascinating exploration of sleep, who we become at night, and the creative possibilities that wakefulness can gift us. It was published in the UK, Australia and NZ yesterday and you’re invited to the online launch via Zoom on Wednesday 31^st January at 7pm GMT.

Sign up here to get the link.

Annabel will also be speaking in person:

Sunday Jan 28^th – Sevenoaks Book Shop, Kent

Thursday Feb 1^st – East Grinstead Book Shop, Sussex

Saturday Feb 3^rd – Stony Words, Milton Keynes, Bucks

REST RESET:

I’ll be hosting a Rest Reset event with incredible Yoga Nidra teacher Kanan Thakerar on Saturday March 9th. This is a two-hour event focussed on the importance of rest at Soho Works, White City, in West London. I’ll talk about the science of resting and how to create habits which allow us to get the rest we need; Kanan will lead a deeply restorative session of Nidra.

Join the waiting list here for more info.

 

Susan