In the data below, I want to look at important differences between morning and night HRV data, as these two protocols and the resulting data can differ, in relation to acute responses to stressors.
Nice one! Given that I already wear an oura ring should I continue with that since I’ve been using it since gen 1, and therefore have lots of data to compare my current data to? Or should I switch to the camera?
thank you Greg. Definitely up to you, but if the morning measurement can fit well in your routine, it might be nice to try that too, and see if you find it more sensitive to stressors as well. You could use the Oura app to look at your night data there, and then use our app for morning data. If you decide to switch, sometimes values are similar, but other times they can be quite different. Should this be the case, give it a few weeks and the app will re-learn your normal range automatically.
Thanks! I’ll give it a try! I suppose my question would be, in theory the camera reading would potentially show greater variability in my HRV each day?
I’d do the following, to maximize useful information and minimize useless noise and metrics:
- get a decent GPS watch that you like (if we are talking about an endurance athlete)
- turn off the optical sensor if possible, or simply don’t wear the sensor outside of training
- get a Polar H10 chest strap. Use it paired to the watch during training, and for a morning measurement of your resting physiology, first thing in the morning, while sitting (e.g. via HRV4Training)
Nothing else is needed nor meaningful and can often lead to disfunctional behavior (due to the wearables lack of context, inaccuracies, and misinterpretation of normal physiological responses as something pathological)
Less is more here: focus on sensors and protocols that allow you to capture your response / internal load, as the ones listed above
Thank you, this is so helpful. I am a soccer player and my training varies (field, weight room, long-runs). I am very familiar with Polar and have used their m430 watch before -- with the H10 chest strap, would you recommend a GPS watch from them?
I also have been using the HRV4Training app for a few weeks now (using my phone to measure) and love it!
thank you Courtney, I think in this case the morning measurement of resting physiology is the most important part, as GPS tends to be less useful outside of endurance sports. Camera or Polar are both good (I use the camera myself as well), so I would use what you prefer, but make sure to be consistent over time, as the data can differ if you switch sensor. All the best for your training!
When looking at the Oura ring HRV-night-time graph I frequently see the pattern that in the first half the graph is less choppy than the second half. Many times I see a very choppy graph close to wake-up. Does this suggest that if I instead would do the HRV measurement in the morning it is likely I would record a higher HRV-number?
hello. It depends, being asleep and being aware are two different states, and it is normal than in the second part of the night there is more REM sleep, which is often associated with erratic HRV, plus there is a circadian component (HRV increasing during the night) which also has an effect. I think we cannot necessarily tell what HRV is in the morning based on night data, as these are quite different states, even if the can be correlated in the long term.
Thanks Marco. A followup q then ... would you be agnostic between using night-hrv-data (with an oura ring for example) vs doing a morning hrv-measurement with phone/cheststrap (My cheststrap is a Garmin HRM ProPlus). So far I have always used the oura ring.
Nice one! Given that I already wear an oura ring should I continue with that since I’ve been using it since gen 1, and therefore have lots of data to compare my current data to? Or should I switch to the camera?
thank you Greg. Definitely up to you, but if the morning measurement can fit well in your routine, it might be nice to try that too, and see if you find it more sensitive to stressors as well. You could use the Oura app to look at your night data there, and then use our app for morning data. If you decide to switch, sometimes values are similar, but other times they can be quite different. Should this be the case, give it a few weeks and the app will re-learn your normal range automatically.
Thanks! I’ll give it a try! I suppose my question would be, in theory the camera reading would potentially show greater variability in my HRV each day?
yes, often that is the case
I’ll give it a try then! Will be interesting as I begin my next marathon cycle.
Good article!
Hi,
What is the most accurate or useful wearable/sports watch for a competitive athlete?
Hi Courtney,
I’d do the following, to maximize useful information and minimize useless noise and metrics:
- get a decent GPS watch that you like (if we are talking about an endurance athlete)
- turn off the optical sensor if possible, or simply don’t wear the sensor outside of training
- get a Polar H10 chest strap. Use it paired to the watch during training, and for a morning measurement of your resting physiology, first thing in the morning, while sitting (e.g. via HRV4Training)
Nothing else is needed nor meaningful and can often lead to disfunctional behavior (due to the wearables lack of context, inaccuracies, and misinterpretation of normal physiological responses as something pathological)
Less is more here: focus on sensors and protocols that allow you to capture your response / internal load, as the ones listed above
Thank you, this is so helpful. I am a soccer player and my training varies (field, weight room, long-runs). I am very familiar with Polar and have used their m430 watch before -- with the H10 chest strap, would you recommend a GPS watch from them?
I also have been using the HRV4Training app for a few weeks now (using my phone to measure) and love it!
thank you Courtney, I think in this case the morning measurement of resting physiology is the most important part, as GPS tends to be less useful outside of endurance sports. Camera or Polar are both good (I use the camera myself as well), so I would use what you prefer, but make sure to be consistent over time, as the data can differ if you switch sensor. All the best for your training!
Sounds great, thank you for all the info!
When looking at the Oura ring HRV-night-time graph I frequently see the pattern that in the first half the graph is less choppy than the second half. Many times I see a very choppy graph close to wake-up. Does this suggest that if I instead would do the HRV measurement in the morning it is likely I would record a higher HRV-number?
hello. It depends, being asleep and being aware are two different states, and it is normal than in the second part of the night there is more REM sleep, which is often associated with erratic HRV, plus there is a circadian component (HRV increasing during the night) which also has an effect. I think we cannot necessarily tell what HRV is in the morning based on night data, as these are quite different states, even if the can be correlated in the long term.
Thanks Marco. A followup q then ... would you be agnostic between using night-hrv-data (with an oura ring for example) vs doing a morning hrv-measurement with phone/cheststrap (My cheststrap is a Garmin HRM ProPlus). So far I have always used the oura ring.
I think all these method are valid and reliable, but the data can differ (see here for more pointers and examples: https://marcoaltini.substack.com/p/heart-rate-variability-hrv-measurement), and therefore I’d use the protocol that fits your goals and lifestyle better