New research suggests the menstrual cycle may influence heart rate, stress levels and nervous system activity, highlighting important changes in women’s overall heart health.

Here’s what HRV is, how it works and what can cause it to rise or fall.

It’s been known for decades that heart rate variability (HRV) during labor signals how a fetus is responding to stress. Lower HRV—a lower variation in heartbeats—is even a risk factor for sudden ...

Variations in fetal heart rate variability (HRV) may serve as early indicators of risk for later psychopathology. These individual differences could further interact with the postpartum environment to ...

Repeated exposure to external stressors could lead to altered autonomic functioning, contributing to difficulties in emotion regulation and the development of mental health difficulties. This pathway ...

A post hoc analysis found that the effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on cardiac and inflammatory stress responses was critically dependent on variability in baseline ...

What is heart rate variability (HRV)? As popular as the metaphor may be, a healthy heart doesn’t beat as regularly as a metronome. In fact, it changes its rhythm with each beat. Heart rate variability ...

Fitness trackers and smart watches are widely popular wearable devices that measure several types of health metrics, including step count, calories burned, sleep quality, Vo2 max and heart rate. As a ...

The rhythmic beating of your heart tells a more complex story than most realize. While standard health assessments typically focus on heart rate, the subtle variations between individual heartbeats ...

Dr Shriram Nene recommends a one-minute breathing ritual before entering home to reduce stress, support heart health, improve ...