Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback
Heart rate variability (HRV) is highly correlated with health and fitness. During HRV sessions we will train you to change your breathing in such
a way as to impact your heart rate and other physiological signs in order to decrease the imbalance of the nervous system and improve your overall
health. Respiratory efficiency increases. More blood is circulated through the lungs allowing for better absorption of oxygen. The lower lobes o
f the lungs, where the richer oxygen resides, are more easily accessed. As a result, patients become more resistant to such respiratory stressors
as exercise, high altitude, or high carbon dioxide concentration (as may occur in a crowded stuffy room) (Lehrer, 2005), and rapid, shallow breathing.
In more technical terms, patients with various disorders reflecting autonomic nervous system (ANS) disregulation also tend to show decreased HRV. This
decreased variability tends to be seen in those with high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. One can think of HRV as a general measure of
adaptability. Diminished HRV is a sign of vulnerability to stress, whether it is from psychological or physical stress or from the effects of living
with chronic illness. Research shows that this type of respiratory training can be used as a “promising intervention to increase baroreceptor cardiac
function in primary hypertension” (Reyes el Paso, et al, 2006).
