Good heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the best indicators of overall fitness and recovery. A higher HRV generally signals better cardiovascular health, while a lower score may mean your body is under stress. Here is what the numbers mean and how to improve yours.
But, what is a good heart rate variability? Does the average heat rate variability change with age? Is it good to have a high HRV or a low HRV?
According to CardioMood, a “good HRV” generally falls between 60-100ms but varies depending on a person’s age, fitness level, and overall health.
In this guide, we will discuss what HRV means and how to measure it, as well as provide a table of good heart rate variability values for all ages and sexes.
What Is HRV?
Before we look at what a good heart rate variability is by age and sex, let’s review what heart rate variability is.
When you take your pulse or look at a heart rate monitor during exercise or at rest to see your heart rate, you get a value that represents the average number of times your heart is beating per minute.
So, for example, if your resting heart rate is 60 beats per minute (bpm), your heart will beat 60 times in one minute.
However, unlike a metronome set at a tempo of 60 bpm—in which every single beat will occur exactly 1 second apart—there is some variability in the amount of time between each heartbeat.
This variability in the intervals or spacing between two successive heartbeats is known as your heart rate variability, or HRV for short.
For example, with a heart rate of 60 bpm, instead of each heartbeat occurring exactly 1 second apart, you might have an interval of 0.9 seconds between two heartbeats.
Then, there is a 1.2-second gap between the next heartbeat, 0.8 seconds before the next heartbeat, and so on.
The difference in the number of milliseconds between each heartbeat is your heart rate variability (HRV). Therefore, HRV is a biometric that measures fluctuations in the steadiness of your heart rate.
What Is a Good Heart Rate Variability?
Intuitively, most people assume that a lower HRV score is better.
After all, the heart is often known as a “pacemaker,“ and we certainly don’t want an erratic heartbeat, so a very steady heart rate with little to no fluctuation or variability in the pacing of heartbeats sounds ideal.
However, the less consistent your heartbeat from beat to beat, the better your nervous system health.
Indeed, research demonstrates that a high heart rate variability indicates that your heart is “ready” to handle various physiological and emotional stressors, such as vigorous exercise or just everyday stress.1Tiwari, R., Kumar, R., Malik, S., Raj, T., & Kumar, P. (2020). Analysis of Heart rate Variability and Implication of Different Factors on Heart Rate Variability. Current Cardiology Reviews, 16. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573403×16999201231203854
Your heart rate variability is ultimately a result of the instantaneous differences in the autonomic control of your heart rate.
The parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest”) is associated with higher heart rate variability because fluctuations in the spacing between heartbeats increase more dramatically when the body and brain are relaxed.
However, heart rate variability is low when the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) predominantly controls the body (the “fight-or-flight response”).
Control by this branch of the autonomic nervous system leads to a more steady and consistent heart rhythm.
You can measure your heart rate variability with fitness trackers such as the Apple watch, Garmin devices, The Whoop chest strap, and the Oura ring.
Average HRV Values By Age, Sex, and Activity Level
There aren’t any official standards or norms for HRV for women vs men or HRV averages by age.
Across the population, heart rate variability tends to decline with age and be slightly lower in females. HRV tends to be higher in athletes and trained individuals2Deus, L. A., Sousa, C. V., Rosa, T. S., Filho, J. M. S., Santos, P. A., Barbosa, L. D., Silva Aguiar, S., Souza, L. H. R., & Simões, H. G. (2019). Heart rate variability in middle-aged sprint and endurance athletes. Physiology & Behavior, 205, 39–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.10.018 because regular exercise improves heart health.
Lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, chronic insufficient sleep, stress, and poor diet can cause a low HRV.
The decline in HRV with age is attributed to a decrease in parasympathetic nervous system activity with age, along with the increased prevalence of chronic health conditions and a more sedentary lifestyle seen in seniors, all of which can decrease heart rate variability.
WHOOP, a company that designs and manufactures wearable devices, aggregated HRV measurement data from their users and put together what constitutes a good HRV for men and women by age.3Average HRV by Age, Gender | Normal HRV Range for Men & Women. (2021, January 20). WHOOP. https://www.whoop.com/us/en/thelocker/normal-hrv-range-age-gender/
Across all WHOOP HRV data, the average heart rate variability for men is 65 ms, while the most common HRV for men is 40 ms (this would be the “mode” of the HRV data for men). The average HRV for women is 62 ms, while the most common HRV for women is 37 ms.
The large discrepancies in the average HRV for men and women versus the most common HRV for men or women are because a statistical average—the mean—of a data set is greatly influenced by outliers.
For simplicity, imagine there are ten men. Nine of the men have an HRV of 40 ms, but one man has an HRV of 100 ms.
The one outlier—the 100 ms HRV—would bring the statistical average HRV for men in this group to 46 ms, even though the vast majority of the men in the sample had an HRV below 46 ms.
The mode refers to the most common HRV for men or women in the data set (the HRV number that occurs most frequently), which can be a better indicator of the most “normal heart rate variability” value.
The approximate average HRV by age and sex according to the WHOOP users are displayed in the HRV chart below:
| Age | Average HRV for Women (ms) | Average HRV for Men (ms) |
| 20 | 55-108 | 58-110 |
| 25 | 48-95 | 48-92 |
| 30 | 40-80 | 45-85 |
| 35 | 38-68 | 40-72 |
| 40 | 32-62 | 35-65 |
| 45 | 30-58 | 32-58 |
| 50 | 30-55 | 30-52 |
| 55 | 28-50 | 30-50 |
| 60 | 25-45 | 26-50 |
These HRV averages by age are similar to the average HRV by age, according to CardioMood.4Stas, P. (2023, June 17). WHAT IS A GOOD HRV BY AGE AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT? – WHAT IS A GOOD HRV BY AGE AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT? CardioMood. https://cardiomood.com/2023/06/17/what-is-a-good-hrv-by-age/
While CardioMood HRV norms are also pulled from a large pool of users, the average HRV norms are only presented by age and not separated by sex, so it’s a little hard to compare directly.
CardioMood states that a “good HRV” generally falls between 60-100ms but varies depending on a person’s age, fitness level, and overall health.
| Age Group | Average HRV |
| 18-25 | 62-85 ms |
| 26-35 | 55-75 ms |
| 36-45 | 50-70 ms |
| 46-55 | 45-65 ms |
| 56-65 | 42-62 ms |
| 66+ | 40-60 ms |
One of the largest population studies (over 150,000 people) looking at normal HRV by age and sex was done in the Netherlands.5Tegegne, B. S., Man, T., van Roon, A. M., Snieder, H., & Riese, H. (2020). Reference values of heart rate variability from 10-second resting electrocardiograms: the Lifelines Cohort Study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 27(19), 2191–2194. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487319872567
The table below shows the average HRV by age group and sex with the mean and median heart rate variability.
| Age Group (years) | Sex | Average HRV (ms) | Median HRV (ms) |
| 13–14 | Women | 77.7 | 66.5 |
| Men | 80.3 | 67.4 | |
| 15–19 | Women | 73.8 | 60.7 |
| Men | 70.8 | 59.9 | |
| 20–24 | Women | 64.7 | 52.1 |
| Men | 57.3 | 47.6 | |
| 25–29 | Women | 58.0 | 47.5 |
| Men | 52.1 | 42.3 | |
| 30–34 | Women | 51.6 | 42.3 |
| Men | 45.4 | 36.9 | |
| 35–39 | Women | 46.0 | 37.9 |
| Men | 39.9 | 32.8 | |
| 40–44 | Women | 41.0 | 33.9 |
| Men | 35.2 | 29.0 | |
| 45–49 | Women | 35.6 | 29.2 |
| Men | 31.6 | 26.0 | |
| 50–54 | Women | 31.8 | 26.6 |
| Men | 28.7 | 23.7 | |
| 55–59 | Women | 27.2 | 22.5 |
| Men | 26.2 | 21.0 | |
| 60–64 | Women | 25.2 | 20.5 |
| Men | 24.8 | 19.1 | |
| 65–69 | Women | 22.9 | 17.8 |
| Men | 24.4 | 17.7 | |
| 70–74 | Women | 25.2 | 18.3 |
| Men | 27.2 | 16.0 | |
| 75+ | Women | 24.0 | 16.1 |
Here again, we see dramatic HRV changes with age.
The good news is that there are some things you can potentially do to increase your HRV.
Managing stress, mental health and well-being, mindfulness, following a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, quitting smoking, focusing on hydration, and avoiding excess alcohol are all effective lifestyle practices to increase heart rate variability.
Perhaps most of all, getting consistent exercise has been shown to lead to higher HRV.
For example, a study compared the HRV of a small group of master endurance athletes and a small group of master sprint athletes (with an average age of 51 years) with age-matched sedentary individuals and 25-year-old subjects who were healthy but not athletes.6Deus, L. A., Sousa, C. V., Rosa, T. S., Filho, J. M. S., Santos, P. A., Barbosa, L. D., Silva Aguiar, S., Souza, L. H. R., & Simões, H. G. (2019). Heart rate variability in middle-aged sprint and endurance athletes. Physiology & Behavior, 205, 39–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.10.018
The results revealed that not only did the master athletes (regardless of whether they were sprint-trained or endurance-trained athletes) have a significantly higher HRV than age-matched sedentary peers, but they also had heart rate variability as high as young healthy subjects.
Although small, this study indicates that lifelong physical activity can attenuate decreases in parasympathetic nervous system function and improve heart rate function and health.
If you have concerns about having a low heart rate variability, arrhythmia, or any other potential health problem, you can speak with your doctor or cardiologist.
For more detailed information on ways to increase your HRV, check out our guide, here!
How to Measure Heart Rate Variability
HRV is most accurately measured first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, when your body is in a rested state. There are several ways to track it:
Chest strap monitors such as the Polar H10 provide the most accurate HRV readings by detecting the electrical signals of your heartbeat. Many runners already own a chest strap for training, making this an easy option.
Smartwatches and fitness trackers from brands like Garmin, Apple, and WHOOP now include built-in HRV tracking. While slightly less precise than a chest strap, modern wrist-based optical sensors have become remarkably accurate and offer the convenience of automatic overnight measurement.
Smartphone apps such as HRV4Training and Elite HRV use your phone’s camera or a connected sensor to take a morning reading. These apps often include trend analysis and training recommendations based on your daily HRV score.
The key to getting meaningful HRV data is consistency. Measure at the same time each day, in the same position, and track the trend over weeks and months rather than fixating on any single reading.
HRV and Running: Why It Matters for Training
For runners, HRV is one of the most useful tools for monitoring recovery and readiness to train. A higher-than-normal HRV reading typically indicates that your body is well recovered and ready for a hard workout. A lower-than-normal reading suggests accumulated fatigue, stress, or insufficient recovery.
Many coaches and athletes use morning HRV to make daily training decisions. If your HRV is trending downward over several days, it may be a sign to reduce training intensity or take a rest day — even if your plan calls for a hard session. Conversely, a sustained upward trend in HRV often signals improving fitness and readiness for increased training load.
HRV is especially valuable during marathon training, where the high volume of weekly miles can easily tip you into overtraining if you are not monitoring recovery. Pairing HRV tracking with heart rate zone training gives you a comprehensive picture of how your body is responding to your training plan.
Factors That Affect Heart Rate Variability
Many lifestyle and physiological factors influence your HRV beyond just exercise. Understanding these can help you interpret your readings more accurately:
- Sleep quality and duration — Poor or insufficient sleep is one of the biggest suppressors of HRV. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep per night.
- Stress — Both physical and psychological stress lower HRV. Work deadlines, relationship difficulties, and financial worries can all show up in your morning HRV readings.
- Alcohol consumption — Even moderate alcohol intake significantly reduces HRV, often for 24–48 hours after drinking.
- Hydration and nutrition — Dehydration and poor dietary choices can negatively affect HRV. A balanced marathon training diet supports better recovery and higher HRV.
- Age — HRV naturally declines with age, which is why it is important to compare your readings against age-appropriate norms (see the table above).
- Fitness level — Regular aerobic exercise tends to increase resting HRV over time. This is one reason why tracking HRV longitudinally can serve as a proxy for cardiovascular fitness improvements.
FAQs
Is A Higher HRV Always Better?
Generally, yes — a higher HRV indicates greater autonomic nervous system flexibility and better cardiovascular health. However, what matters most is your personal baseline and trends over time. An HRV of 40 ms might be excellent for a 60-year-old but below average for a fit 25-year-old. Focus on your own trends rather than comparing to others.
What Is A Normal HRV For Runners?
Active runners typically have higher HRV than sedentary individuals of the same age. Most recreational runners see HRV values between 40–80 ms (RMSSD), while highly trained endurance athletes can have values above 100 ms. Your ideal HRV depends on your age, fitness level, and individual physiology.
How Often Should I Check My HRV?
For meaningful insights, measure your HRV daily — ideally first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Daily tracking builds a baseline that makes it easier to spot meaningful changes. A single reading tells you very little; the real value comes from observing your 7-day and 30-day trends.
Can I Improve My HRV?
Yes. The most effective ways to improve HRV include consistent aerobic exercise, prioritizing sleep, managing stress through practices like meditation or deep breathing, staying well-hydrated, and reducing alcohol intake. For runners, following a well-structured training plan with adequate recovery days is one of the best ways to see HRV improve over time. Read our detailed guide on how to increase HRV for more strategies.
