Why Your HRV Is Low (And What To Do About It)

You track your HRV. You try to eat clean. You train. You supplement. You optimize.But your numbers still won’t rise.In this solo episode, Todd Vande Hei explains why HRV often drops in modern life — not because you’re weak, aging poorly, or genetically broken — but because your stress cycle never completes.Stress isn’t the problem. Incomplete stress is.If you don’t physically or emotionally discharge activation, your nervous system stays partially “on,” and HRV reflects that immediately. This episode breaks down the biology of stress completion and how to restore adaptability at any age.In this episode:• What HRV actually measures (and what it doesn’t)• Why stress must complete its cycle to allow recovery• The difference between activation and discharge• How modern life keeps the nervous system partially “on”• Two versions of the same stressful day — and why one restores HRV• What it really means to metabolize stress• How movement, sleep, and emotional resolution improve HRV• Why HRV isn’t a trophy — it’s feedback• The single most powerful lever to improve HRVIf you’re tracking HRV but not seeing progress, it may not be your age, your hormones, or your genetics.It may simply be that your stress isn’t finishing.To learn more about how Stark measures and improves nervous system adaptability, visit https://stark.health.Complete the cycle. Let your body recover Your health is a skill you can build. Start with the free resources at podtodd.com or explore team-based health optimization at stark.health