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Conflicting recommendations, and HRV metric improvements?

Gaynier
over 2 years ago

I've been wearing my Instinct 2 for over 4 weeks now and it seems to provide conflicting information. It might tell me I need more rest but also tell me I need more high aerobic activity. Also the HRV overnight average seems too simplistic a measurement of 'balance'. For example my HRV, according to the graph, might show an overall increase all night long and the highest 5 min average can be quite high, but since it starts out low the average is low and it says my HRV is unbalanced. Shouldn't it consider the HRV trend overnight? E.g., why not add a 'trend' metric in addition to average and max 5-min average? Is it just me, but does HRV track with REM sleep?

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    Followup to my own post (Gaynier). Just looked at my training intensity and my HRV over time. It seems I have the highest HRV on the night following an intense session on my bike....?? By following the Instinct 2 recommendation to 'rest' I seem to get lower HRV which is then a feedback loop! Lower HRV, more rest/recovery suggested which leads to lower HRV..... Does anyone else experience this?

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Gaynier

    Follow up to my follow up. Found this information about HRV drops and increases after high intensity exercise; " Endurance tapering. When a high volume of low to moderate intensity training is accumulated, HRV can actually increase as training load increases. This can occur both from aerobic stimulation of the parasympathetic branch of the Autonomic Nervous System, as well as from the body trying to recover from an accumulation of low grade stress. Then when an individual begins a taper leading up to a competition, HRV declines and can sometimes dip below the starting point. The optimal drop in HRV during a taper is very individual; however, it is generally acceptable and possibly even favorable for performance for HRV to temporarily drop during a taper." elitehrv.com/the-8-biggest-mistakes-made-when-measuring-hrv

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Gaynier

    Following up to your folloup of the followup here. Yes I experience this as well and never really thought about it until now. My girlfriend has a FR255S and her HRV has been like 35ms or something in the red for days and we can't figure out why either.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Josh

    In my case, I think it's a result of Endurance Tapering as described in the link I provided. First the Instinct said my acute training load was too high and I needed more rest. So I started to 'taper' my training load and my HRV dropped. Then the Instinct told me my HRV was 'unbalance' and I needed more rest. Do what you can to learn as much as you can about all the measurements and metrics, and make your own decisions. Take the Instinct recommendations with a grain of salt.