Home → Insights → HRV vs Resting Heart Rate
HRV vs Resting Heart Rate
Heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate are two important health metrics measured by many wearables. Both provide insights into recovery, stress and cardiovascular health.
What Is Resting Heart Rate?
Resting heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute when the body is at rest. Lower resting heart rates are often associated with good cardiovascular fitness.
Learn more about resting heart rate.
What Is HRV?
Heart rate variability measures the variation in time between individual heartbeats. Higher variability generally indicates a flexible nervous system and good recovery capacity.
Learn more about heart rate variability.
HRV vs Resting Heart Rate
| Metric | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Resting Heart Rate | Heartbeats per minute at rest |
| HRV | Variation between heartbeats |
How to Interpret Both Metrics Together
When resting heart rate decreases and HRV increases, it often indicates good recovery and cardiovascular fitness.
If resting heart rate rises while HRV drops, this may signal stress, illness or insufficient recovery.