Heart Rate Variability: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How Chiropractic Care Can Improve It
If there was one number that could tell you how well your body is adapting to stress, healing, and bouncing back—it would be Heart Rate Variability, or HRV. At Harmony Family Chiropractic, we measure HRV as part of our neurological scans, because it gives us a real-time look into how your nervous system is functioning and how much reserve your body has left. In simple terms, HRV is a window into your ability to heal.
What Is HRV?
Heart Rate Variability is not your heart rate - it’s the tiny variation in time between each heartbeat. For example, even if your heart rate is 70 beats per minute, each beat should not be exactly 0.857 seconds apart. In a healthy, adaptable body, the time between beats fluctuates depending on what the body needs. That variability shows that your nervous system is responsive, flexible, and ready to adapt to whatever comes your way.
High HRV = strong adaptability, better regulation, more resilience.
Low HRV = chronic stress, fatigue, poor recovery, and nervous system overload.
Why HRV Matters for Your Health
HRV is closely tied to your autonomic nervous system—the part of your body that controls everything you don’t consciously think about: breathing, digestion, heart rate, immune function, hormone release, and more. A high HRV tells us that your body can easily shift between sympathetic mode (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic mode (“rest and repair”).
Low HRV, on the other hand, means your body may be stuck in sympathetic overdrive. It can’t downshift easily, which can lead to inflammation, poor digestion, sleep issues, burnout, and more.
One of the most powerful studies on HRV showed that cancer patients with higher HRV had significantly higher survival rates - even when their disease was at an advanced stage. This research confirms what chiropractors have known for decades: the body’s ability to adapt and regulate is directly tied to its ability to heal (source: Fadul et al., Palliative Medicine, 2010).
How Nervous System-Based Chiropractic Care Improves HRV
At Harmony, we focus on neurologically based chiropractic care - which means our goal isn’t just to “crack backs” or relieve pain. We’re looking at how stress patterns are stored in the nervous system and how to gently release them through specific, tonal adjustments.
When the spine is under stress from subluxation (misalignment and tension), it interferes with the body’s ability to regulate through the vagus nerve and autonomic system. Over time, this leads to low HRV and poor adaptability.
With consistent chiropractic care, we see HRV improve. That means your body is better able to:
Calm down after stress
Sleep more deeply
Digest more efficiently
Fight off illness faster
Heal and recover more completely
Whether you're dealing with chronic stress, raising kids with emotional regulation challenges, navigating fatigue or burnout, or simply wanting to live more proactively, improving HRV is a powerful step forward.
How We Measure It
Our INSiGHT scans measure HRV and give us a clear picture of how your nervous system is functioning beneath the surface. It’s not just about how you feel - it’s about how you’re functioning. With this technology, we can track changes in HRV over time and create personalized care plans to restore regulation, adaptability, and resilience.
Final Thoughts
HRV is more than just a number - it’s one of the most reliable indicators of how well your body is adapting to life. And here’s the best part: it can improve. With regular, nervous system-based chiropractic care, you can rebuild your body’s capacity to rest, regulate, and repair—no matter what stress or diagnosis you’re facing.
If you want to learn more about your HRV and how Harmony Family Chiropractic can help you or your child regulate and thrive, we’d love to connect. Call us at 919-234-0505 or schedule online for a complimentary 15-minute consult.
Your body was designed to adapt. Let’s help it do just that!