The role of heart rate variability (HRV) in health, exercise performance, and athlete training monitoring: A systematic review

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/sshr.2025.394969.1192

Abstract

This review systematically examines recent studies on the potential role of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in physical activity, encompassing health, performance, cognitive, and physiological perspectives. Specifically, it investigates the impact of HRV monitoring methods on physical performance, fatigue, and recovery across various aspects of sports performance. A comprehensive search for primary articles and relevant scientific literature was conducted across academic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus, using keywords such as Heart Rate Variability, physical activity, health, sports physiology, and cognitive factors.
HRV is widely recognized as a non-invasive, practical, and valuable tool for assessing autonomic nervous system function. Due to its methodological advantages, HRV provides critical insights into fitness levels and training adaptation, optimal training intensity and volume, overtraining detection, injury risk assessment, and cognitive factors such as stress and anxiety. The reviewed literature indicates that individuals with lower baseline HRV tend to experience increased HRV levels following regular physical activity. Consequently, exercise training is directly associated with improved HRV, which in turn enhances athletic performance, mitigates overtraining risks, and reduces injury incidence

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