Heart Rate Variability & Stress
Heart rate variability (HRV) can be influenced by numerous causes. It's natural for your heart rate to fluctuate in response to various activities, environmental factors like temperature, the time of day, your emotional state, and any underlying medical conditions you may have. However, there are some instances where HRV issues are not natural. Fortunately, Back To Health Family Chiropractic in Fort Worth offers chiropractic treatments aimed at addressing issues related to HRV, offering a pathway to improved heart health and overall well-being.
Understanding Heart Rate Variability
The heart doesn't always maintain a steady rhythm; rather, its rate is operated under the control of an autonomous system that adjusts heart rate based on physical and psychological factors. HRV analysis is a method used to assess the fluctuations in the intervals between heartbeats. Factors such as age, fitness level, and overall health can significantly influence HRV. Monitoring your HRV offers crucial insights into your overall well-being. If you have underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, regular HRV checkups are recommended as part of your health management strategy.
Stress-Related Impairment of Heart Rate Variability
Stress is widely recognized as a significant factor contributing to heart problems. In response to a stressful situation, your body's "Fight or Flight" mechanism is activated, often resulting in an increased heart rate. However, chronic stress can lead to reduced heart rate variability, which may seem counter-intuitive as higher HRV is generally preferred.
Chiropractic Care for Improving HRV
Greater variability in the time intervals between heartbeats is considered beneficial for your health physically, mentally, and emotionally. Factors such as stress, fatigue, and burnout can all contribute to reduced HRV. Within the context of stress management programs, our Board Certified Atlas Orthogonal chiropractor, Dr. Chris Michlin, provides chiropractic care that will play an integral part in enhancing your HRV.
Spinal adjustments will be able to accomplish this by balancing the autonomic nervous system which consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. These two aspects of the nervous system control the balance between the Fight or Flight mode and the relaxation and sleep mode. When the autonomic nervous system is properly balanced, our heart rate will have increased variability. When we are under high stress, we should have a higher heart rate allowing more energy to flow throughout the body. When we sleep, our heart rate will be much slower allowing for deeper sleep.
Improved HRV resulting from emotional and physical well-being is a positive indicator of overall health. Increased HRV allows the body to function optimally by increasing resilience, including improved cognitive processes.
Additional HRV Resources
Supplemental to Dr. Michlin’s chiropractic care, Back To Health Family Chiropractic has implemented the use of advanced technologies that help address our patients’ HRV and stress regulation.
One of these resources being HRV scans through NeuralChek. This tool provides useful insights to the user as it identifies underlying issues from the source by measuring the time intervals in between heart beats. The measurement of the intervals is important because they are processed as frequency bandwidths that correlate with regulation of body functions. Within a matter of minutes, NeuralChek provides measurements of the user’s cardiovascular adaptation, autonomic nervous system regulation and psycho-emotional balance. This assessment provides the foundation for a customized self-regulation and stress reduction plan, where we can track your progress.
The following technologies help create your comprehensive program for health and wellness.
- The Trifecta Red Light Therapy Bed - Uses specific red light and near-infrared wavelengths to accelerate the healing and recovery process of wounds and injuries. The advanced technology of the Trifecta bed allows us to program specific frequencies and wavelengths for the condition being treated. Red light therapy enhances the body's ability to heal itself while also reducing pain. It's known to help with improving circulation and delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the cells and tissues. The regenerative effects penetrate deep into the body and provide incredible full-body healing benefits naturally and with no side effects. Additionally, red light therapy has been shown to reduce stress and enhance mental and emotional well-being.
- BrainTap - A meditation program that uses light, sound, and vibration frequency technology. By reaching a deeper meditative state, patients have shown the ability to perform on a higher cognitive and physical level. Deep meditation helps reduce stress, improve focus, promote mental clarity, and enhance quality of sleep. BrainTap can be experienced in our clinic or in the comforts of your own home.
- HeartMath tools - Allow our patients to identify and monitor their HRV through visual graphs measuring a person’s natural emotional responses. It is a fun and innovative way to improve performance and well-being through real-time precision feedback and training. This system is a scientifically validated heart rate monitoring sensor that facilitates learning techniques to create an optimal state in which the heart, mind and emotions are operating in-sync and balanced. With these measurements, our patients will be able make the appropriate adjustments to achieve harmony between the heart and the brain as the physical, mental, and emotional systems align themselves into coherence.
- The OURA ring - Provides the most accurate readings for over 20 biometrics including, heart rate, body temperature, blood oxygen and more. It will help uncover insights on sleep, activity, and recovery for the purpose of allowing people to make informed decisions on how they conduct their day-to-day routines. The OURA ring helps you take control of your health.
- The Shift - An effective breathing tool that we have implemented for our patients to help them adopt better breathing habits. Your brain and breath are connected. Shallow breathing triggers "fight or flight" mode which creates stress and anxiety. The Shift slows your breath so you can reverse anxiety. Patent Awarded design, the Shift silently guides long exhales that trigger the vagus nerve to calm the mind and body. Wearing the Shift creates the habit of breathing better so you can do life better.
Find a Chiropractor Near You
If you reside in or around Fort Worth, TX, Board Certified Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractor, Dr. Chris Michlin, and Certified Health Coach, Nancy Michlin of Back To Health Family Chiropractic is your go-to choice for a chiropractic team that understands the importance of stress management and HRV.
To address stress management and receive chiropractic treatment aimed at improving HRV, schedule an appointment at Back To Health Family Chiropractic by calling (817) 810-9111