Recovery and health

    Is my HRV good? HRV by age

    HRV falls with age: in a study of 84,772 adults, the typical RMSSD was about 48 ms for men in their early twenties and about 29 ms at 40 to 44, with huge differences between people. That is why a good HRV is one that is normal for you. Enter your last 7 mornings and today to see whether today is.

    Calculator
    ms
    Your last 7 mornings
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    Readings prefilled with a worked example. Replace them with your own (RMSSD, ms, same device each time).

    There is no good or bad HRV

    Unlike FTP, HRV is not a number to chase. Two healthy, fit riders can have very different values: genetics explain much of the gap. What matters is whether today's reading is normal for you.

    Today versus your normal

    Your baseline
    61ms
    Today
    48ms
    −13
    Clearly low: an easy day or rest is the smart call

    Daily check: median of your last 7 mornings, robust deviation (the same method LeCoach uses for its daily recovery check). Population age tables (for context only, not a target) are on the HRV by age page.

    HRV by age and sex

    Heart rate variability (HRV) is the small variation in time between one heartbeat and the next. A higher HRV usually means your nervous system is in "rest and recover" mode; a lower one can mean stress, fatigue or illness. HRV also falls with age. This page is one of the free LeCoach cycling calculators.

    The table below comes from the Lifelines Cohort Study, which measured 84,772 people aged 13 to 91 in the Netherlands (Tegegne et al., 2020). It shows the median RMSSD and the range between the 2nd and 98th percentile, which covers 96 % of people. Values are rounded to whole milliseconds.

    AgeMen, medianMen, 2nd–98th percentileWomen, medianWomen, 2nd–98th percentile
    20–2448 ms10–174 ms52 ms11–206 ms
    25–2942 ms10–173 ms48 ms12–181 ms
    30–3437 ms10–141 ms42 ms12–161 ms
    35–3933 ms9–124 ms38 ms11–142 ms
    40–4429 ms8–106 ms34 ms10–124 ms
    45–4926 ms7–96 ms29 ms8–110 ms
    50–5424 ms7–88 ms27 ms8–96 ms
    55–5921 ms6–90 ms23 ms7–84 ms
    60–6419 ms5–87 ms21 ms6–79 ms
    65–6918 ms5–111 ms18 ms5–83 ms
    70–7416 ms5–162 ms18 ms5–116 ms
    75 and over15 ms4–130 ms16 ms4–106 ms

    The typical value falls by more than half between your early twenties and your early sixties. Women have a slightly higher median than men at most ages.

    What RMSSD means

    RMSSD stands for the root mean square of successive differences. It takes the time between each pair of heartbeats, works out how much each gap differs from the next, squares those differences, averages them and takes the square root. The result is one number in milliseconds. It mainly reflects the activity of the vagus nerve, the "brake" on your heart that is strongest when you are rested and relaxed. It is the HRV measure many apps and wearables use, though not all of them.

    Why your watch shows a different number

    The Lifelines values come from 10-second resting ECGs, taken in a clinic. Watches, rings and chest straps usually measure overnight or over a few minutes after waking, and those values are often higher. Some apps also show a score or a converted value instead of raw RMSSD.

    So do not compare your watch reading with the table and worry. A 40-year-old man whose overnight HRV is 55 ms is not "far above average" in any useful sense, and one at 25 ms is not unhealthy. Compare yourself with yourself, on the same device, measured the same way.

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    There is no good or bad HRV

    Look at the spread: for men aged 40 to 44, the middle value is 29 ms but 96 % of people fall anywhere between 8 and 106 ms. That range is so wide it makes the absolute number nearly meaningless. Genetics explain much of the gap. A rider with a low HRV can be very fit, and a high value does not make someone healthy.

    That is why the calculator above is a baseline checker, not an age lookup. Unlike FTP, HRV is not a number to chase, and there is no target to aim for. The only question worth asking is whether today is normal for you. It asks for this morning's reading and your last 7 mornings, uses the same method LeCoach uses for its daily recovery check, and tells you whether today is in line with your own normal.

    Your baseline is the median of your last 7 mornings. It measures how much your readings normally vary with a robust deviation (the median absolute deviation, with a small floor), ignores changes of 3 ms or less, and only flags readings below your normal.

    Worked example. Last 7 morning values of 62, 58, 65, 60, 63, 59 and 61 ms give a baseline of 61 ms. A reading of 48 ms this morning is 13 below, which comes back as "Clearly low: an easy day or rest is the smart call." In a week this steady, 58 ms would still be normal, 56 to 57 ms slightly low and 55 ms or less clearly low.

    What can lower your HRV

    • Hard training or racing in the last day or two
    • Short or poor sleep, or a late heavy meal
    • Alcohol
    • A cold or other illness starting
    • Heat, travel and dehydration
    • Work or life stress

    Over months, regular endurance training tends to raise HRV, and ageing lowers it. Read more in our guide to HRV for cyclists, and see HRV vs resting heart rate for cyclists for how the two signals compare. The resting heart rate by age checker uses the same method for your morning pulse.

    When to see a doctor

    HRV on its own cannot diagnose anything. A low reading is a reason to check how you feel, not a reason to worry. Talk to a doctor if a low HRV comes with palpitations, an irregular heartbeat warning from your device, chest pain, dizziness, fainting or breathlessness, or if you feel unwell for more than a few days.

    LeCoach compares your HRV, resting heart rate and sleep with your own baseline every morning, and explains what it means for today's workout.

    Sources

    • Tegegne BS et al. Reference values of heart rate variability from 10-second resting electrocardiograms: the Lifelines Cohort Study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2020;27(19):2191-2194.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is a good HRV for my age?

    In a study of 84,772 adults, the typical RMSSD was about 48 ms for men aged 20 to 24, 29 ms at 40 to 44 and 19 ms at 60 to 64, with women slightly higher. But the range is huge: most people fall anywhere between a few ms and over 100 ms. A good HRV is one that is normal for you.

    Why is my HRV lower than average?

    Often it is simply your genetics, and it says little about your fitness or health. HRV also falls with age, after hard training, poor sleep, alcohol and stress, and when an illness is starting. If your HRV is low but stable and you feel well, there is usually nothing to fix. Watch for drops from your own baseline instead.

    Why is my watch HRV different from the chart?

    The chart comes from 10-second ECGs taken at rest in a clinic. Most watches, rings and straps measure overnight or just after waking, and those values are often higher. Some apps show a score instead of raw RMSSD. Compare your readings only with your own earlier readings from the same device.

    What is RMSSD?

    RMSSD is the root mean square of successive differences between heartbeats, measured in milliseconds. It shows how much the time between beats changes from one beat to the next. It mainly reflects the vagus nerve, which slows your heart when you are rested, and it is the HRV measure many wearables and training apps report.

    How big a drop in HRV means I should take it easy?

    It depends on how much your HRV normally varies. In the example week, with a 61 ms baseline and little day-to-day change, a reading of 56 to 57 ms counts as slightly low and 55 ms or less as clearly low. If your values usually swing more, a bigger drop is needed before the checker flags it.

    Does HRV decrease with age?

    Yes. In the Lifelines study, typical RMSSD for men fell from about 48 ms at 20 to 24 to about 15 ms at 75 and over, and for women from about 52 ms to about 16 ms. Regular endurance training tends to raise HRV, so compare yourself with your own past values rather than with your age group.

    What does today’s HRV mean for today’s workout?

    Get your HRV read for you every morning, with a plain-language note on what it means for the day.

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