Dr. Mark Sircus is a prominent advocate of what he calls “magnesium medicine,” having authored extensive works on the therapeutic uses of magnesium. Trained in acupuncture and oriental medicine, Dr. Sircus diverges from conventional medicine by positioning magnesium at the center of treatment for a wide array of conditions.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a Key Indicator of Cardiovascular Health
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a Key Indicator of Cardiovascular Health
Published on March 31, 2025 by Dr. Sircus
The State of our Hearts Tell us Much About Ourselves
HRV is a key indicator of cardiovascular health, reflecting the heart’s ability to adapt to physiological demands. A lower HRV suggests poorer heart rate regulation and reduced resilience to both environmental (e.g., stress, fear) and physiological stressors (e.g., systemic inflammation, a hallmark of COVID-19).
The science of heart rate variability (HRV) allows us to explore the incredible and wonderful world of the heart. HRV is a physiological marker of how we experience and regulate our emotions. HRV is relatively easy to measure. Rather than calculating the number of beats per minute, we measure the time that elapses between one heartbeat and the next one.
HRV is the heart’s authentic voice, so HRV must lead the next revolution in cardiology. In the heart of every human being is a rhythm. Not just the beat of survival—but the song of how we live. Cardiology has treated the heart like a machine for too long—measuring its pressure, blockages, and ejection fraction. But the heart is not only a mechanical pump. It is a resonant field, a relational organ, and a spiritual barometer of human integrity.
HRV measures the variation in time between your heartbeats. But beneath that technical definition lies something profound: HRV is your body’s truth signal. It reflects your adaptability, emotional openness, and capacity to meet the moment without resistance.
- High HRV = flexibility, coherence, and aliveness.
- Low HRV = rigidity, contraction, dissonance.
HRV is the body’s way of showing us whether we are coherent with our being. It is not just about rest and recovery—it is about resonance and how honest we are willing to be. A flexible heart is a sincere heart. A high HRV often reflects a state of inner alignment, openness, vulnerability, and presence. So yes, the state of our hearts does tell us much about ourselves. And sometimes, it tells us everything.
A high HRV doesn’t just mean you’re relaxed. It means you’re real. It means your nervous system isn’t caught in a performance. It means you are, at this moment, undefended.
Ever wondered how stressed you are? Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a practical way to quantify your stress and health objectively. While some amount of stress can be good, being in a constant, long-term state of stress can be very bad for our bodies and minds. HRV helps you objectively understand the state of your body and what factors trigger a stress response in you.
The Story of David and the Listening Heart
David was quiet but not the kind that didn’t speak—he just listened more than he talked. And not just with his ears. He listened with his heart. Before the world stirred, David clipped a small black sensor to his ear every morning. It was his ritual—tracking his HRV. Not because he was obsessed with numbers, but because it told him something more profound than metrics—the truth about his inner state.
Some mornings, his HRV was high—his heart moving like a jazz band: full of flexibility, rhythm, and presence. On those days, he felt spacious and alive, able to meet the world with an open chest and an unguarded soul.
Other mornings, it was low—tight, rigid, predictable. And sure enough, he’d find himself tense, irritable, or withdrawn. His body was giving him a whisper of something before his mind could catch up. It wasn’t just stress or sleep. It was everything: the argument he’d had with his daughter two days ago and hadn’t apologized for. The dream he kept postponing. The unspoken grief he wore like armor. His heart told the story before his mouth did.
One morning, after a sleepless night and an HRV score scraping the bottom, he didn’t meditate or exercise. He just picked up the phone and called his brother. The one he hadn’t spoken to in seven years. The one whose name made his chest tighten. They cried. They laughed. They didn’t fix everything, but they cracked the shell. The following day, his HRV was the highest it had ever been. David smiled. His heart had listened to the pain. And in return, it had softened.
Introducing The Power Of Mindfulness!
If you answer YES to any of the below, you need this…
You’re currently feel stressed out
You deal with fear of things like public speaking…
You can’t seem to turn your mind off when during your day…
You’ve resorted to medication to help with stress, fear, and anxiety
You want to have more success in your life
You want to be the best you can be!
Emotional Truth as Medicine
Here’s what science rarely says out loud: The truth heals. Not abstract truth, but felt truth. Truth that makes the chest ache and the tears come. The tears of the melting heart are healing. The Heart is the organ of truth. One cannot live a lie and be in the heart.
An apology raises HRV.
Forgiveness raises HRV.
Crying, real crying—not the performative kind—raises HRV.
So does awe.
So does wonder.
So does love, when it’s not confused with possession or fear of loss.
We’ve been trained to chase health as a physical outcome. But health begins in honesty. HRV measures the integrity of your nervous system. But underneath that, it measures the alignment between your being and living.
HRV as the Soul’s Stethoscope
A high HRV doesn’t mean you’re an athlete. It means your system is available for love. Every sigh you release, every truth you speak, and every emotion you feel tune the heart’s rhythm back into the living orchestra of the parasympathetic nervous system.
HRV as the Core Metric of Natural Cardiology
Let this be said clearly:
Any cardiology that ignores HRV is incomplete.
Any medicine that ignores emotion, truth, and coherence is blind.
And any health system that doesn’t teach people to feel, breathe, and listen is not healing—it’s managing dysfunction.
HRV should be:
- A daily vital sign.
- A guide for emotional literacy.
- A tool for spiritual feedback.
- A foundation of proper prevention.
Not just for elite athletes or biohackers. For everyone who has a heart—and wants to hear it speak.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk says, “The heart, gut and brain communicate intimately via the vagus nerve, the critical nerve involved in expressing and managing emotions in humans. We experience emotions in our bodies, not in our heads. Emotions are first a physical state and only secondarily interpreted as a perception in the brain. By learning literally how to control our heart, we learn how to gain mastery of our emotional brain and vice versa. We can change the state of our brains by what we do with our bodies. The way we move, the way we breathe, and the way we interact with other people physically. Important that we experience emotions in our body and not in our head.”
The American Institute of Stress has reported that up to 90% of doctor’s visits are stress-related. A patient’s HRV gives us a full readout regarding health, medical diagnosis, and treatment pathways that will bring a person back to harmony and health. The bottom line is that the heart knows what is happening in the body. HRV can provide information to users about situations where their stress or anxiety levels are higher than usual.
Heart rate variability, or heart rhythms, is the most dynamic and reflective indicator of one’s emotional states, current stress, and cognitive processes. An optimal, flexible level of HRV reflects healthy function; too little variation indicates chronic stress and pathology. The HRV of any individual is directly dependent on vagus nerve tone and function.
Health Professionals and Patients Can Tune Directly into the Heart
The first image above shows me on a highly stressed-out day. The photo shows very little HRV, meaning I was practically flatlining regarding HRV and stress. The flatter our heartbeats are, the more stressed we are and the closer we are to death.
The image directly above shows a vastly increased HRV, and it was wonderful, for a change, to see my heart changing up and down nicely as I did yogic breathing during the test. This showed me that it is possible to get a direct hold of how my heart is beating and a direct hold on the stress I am putting my body through.
Meditation, slow breathing techniques, and positive social relationships help the Vagus nerve. Deep and slow breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, especially yogic alternative nostril breathing, and I was doing three-part yogic breathing to increase my HRV.
Breathing in and out with resistance will also stimulate your Vagus nerve; the Frolov breathing retraining device is suitable for practicing that. Mild exercise stimulates gut flow. This is mediated by the vagus nerve, which means that exercise stimulates the vagus nerve. The heart is the organ that loves to exercise. Singing increases HRV, as does laughter.
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Hot Flushes
Hot flushes, also known as hot flashes, are a common symptom experienced by many individuals, particularly women, during menopause. A hot flush is a sudden and intense feeling of heat that spreads over the body, typically accompanied by redness and sweating. It is often described as a wave of warmth that starts in the chest or neck and moves upward to the face.
Hay fever
Hay fever, medically known as allergic rhinitis, is a common allergic condition characterized by the inflammation of the nasal passages and other symptoms that occur in response to airborne allergens, typically pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds. It is a prevalent condition, affecting millions of people worldwide, and can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, especially during allergy seasons.
Heartburn (acid reflux)
A burning pain or discomfort that is often felt in the upper/mid-chest/stomach area behind the breastbone. The burning sensation can often be felt rising up the throat. The discomfort may worsen when lying down.
Heartburn is often brought on when hydrochloric acid (the acid used by the stomach to digest food) enters the esophagus. The sensitive tissue of the esophagus is burned and irritated by the acid causing burning, pain, and discomfort.
11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger
Ginger is among the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on the planet.
It is loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain.
Here are 11 health benefits of Ginger that are supported by scientific research.
Moringa Concentrate Extract for Iron Deficiency (Anemia) and Energy Booster
Ingredients: Moringa Concentrate Extract (Contains 17% Food Grade Sugar Cane Ethanol per 20L as a preservative)
The Minimum Daily recommendation for Moringa is 5g. A 500mg Moringa capsule only has about 350mg powder in. If you take 10 capsules per day, you will be at 3.5g and still under the minimum daily recommendation. That is why we brought out the Moringa Concentrate Extract. 1 Teaspoon is equal to 20 Capsules.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a Key Indicator of Cardiovascular Health
The State of our Hearts Tell
us Much About Ourselves
HRV is a key indicator of cardiovascular health, reflecting the heart’s ability to adapt to physiological demands. A lower HRV suggests poorer heart rate regulation and reduced resilience to both environmental (e.g., stress, fear) and physiological stressors (e.g., systemic inflammation, a hallmark of COVID-19).
More Crap on Statin Drugs by Dr. Sircus
Statins are still very cheap and highly effective cholesterol-lowering drugs, they like to say, but high-risk heart patients may have an even better option, a new evidence review says. Combining statins with another drug, ezetimibe, significantly reduces the risk of death in patients with clogged arteries, according to findings published Sunday in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Rheumatism
Rheumatism is a broad and somewhat outdated term that has been historically used to describe various conditions characterized by pain and inflammation in the muscles, joints, and connective tissues. However, in modern medicine, the term “rheumatism” is no longer used as a specific diagnosis because it doesn’t refer to a single, well-defined medical condition. Instead, healthcare professionals use more specific and accurate terminology to describe the various disorders that can affect the musculoskeletal system.
One of the key stretching benefits for the body mind and soul is the increased flexibility and joint mobility it provides. As you stretch your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, they become more pliable and supple, allowing for a greater range of motion in your joints. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals who lead sedentary lifestyles or have jobs that require long periods of sitting.
Another significant stretching benefits for the body mind and soul is enhanced blood circulation. Stretching in the morning stimulates blood flow throughout your body, delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to your muscles, organs, and tissues. This increased circulation not only helps to wake up your body but also promotes vitality and overall well-being.
Poor posture is a common problem caused by factors such as sedentary lifestyles, desk jobs, or excessive phone use. One of the stretching benefits for the body mind and soul is the improvement of posture and alignment. Stretching regularly can help correct postural imbalances by lengthening tight muscles that pull the body out of alignment.
Among the many stretching benefits for the body mind and soul, stress relief and relaxation are particularly noteworthy. Stretching not only benefits the body but also has a profound impact on your mental well-being. As you engage in stretching exercises, you become more present in the moment and attuned to your body’s sensations. This mindfulness can help calm your mind, reduce stress levels, and promote relaxation.
Starting your day with a morning stretching routine can provide a natural energy boost that lasts throughout the day. As you stretch your muscles and increase blood flow, you invigorate your body and awaken your senses. This is one of the essential stretching benefits for the body mind and soul.
One of the stretching benefits for the body mind and soul is the improvement of mental clarity and focus. Stretching not only wakes up your muscles but also clears away mental fog, allowing for improved mental clarity and focus. As you engage in stretching exercises, you bring awareness to each movement, promoting mindfulness.
Stretching provides a natural release for tension held in the body, helping to alleviate muscle tightness and discomfort. As you stretch, you encourage the release of built-up tension and toxins that may have accumulated during sleep or from daily stressors. This is another one of the valuable stretching benefits for the body mind and soul.
Regular stretching can have a positive impact on your emotional well-being by promoting emotional balance and reducing anxiety. The combination of physical movement, deep breathing, and mindfulness helps to regulate the body’s stress response. This is a crucial aspect of the stretching benefits for the body mind and soul.
By incorporating stretching into your morning routine, you strengthen the mind-body connection—a vital aspect of overall well-being. This is one of the most profound stretching benefits for the body mind and soul. As you engage in each stretch, you become more attuned to the sensations in your body.
