Heart rate variability (HRV), a term used to define the extent of variation in your heart rate from its lowest beating speed to its fastest has been shown to influence emotional health. In other words, the wider the range of your heart rate, the higher and better your emotional resilience. HRV, the beat-to-beat fluctuations in the rhythm of the heart, results from the regulation of the heart by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Low HRV is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and is a marker for a wide range of diseases (1).
Conversely, if you’re able to maximize your heart rate variability, then you’re also increasing your emotional strength and resilience. Meditation, behavioural therapy, biofeedback, regular physical activity, and certain pharmaceuticals have been shown to improve HRV. Another therapy that has been shown to have a significant positive effect on HRV and consequently emotional health is acupuncture. I like to think of it as having therapy without ‘therapy’. There is strong evidence from randomized placebo controlled trials in the literature to support the conclusion that acupuncture improves HRV (1,2). In the field of psychophysiology, the 
interest in HRV is in its relationship to emotional arousal. HRV has been shown to be reduced in individuals reporting a greater frequency and duration of daily worry. Acupuncture on the other hand has been shown to induce a significant decrease in heart rate and improve HRV (3,4).
If you’re suffering from high levels of chronic anxiety, worry, frustration or stress and either haven’t had great success with other means of therapy or are looking to complement your other efforts at improving your mental and emotional health, consider giving acupuncture a try. For those who have never tried acupuncture, it may seem counter-intuitive to be pricked with needles to induce ‘calm’, a reduction in heart rate and improvement in mental health. However, acupuncture can be performed in a calm setting, with hair thin needles and its depth of insertion controlled such that discomfort may be minimized. My personal philosophy of the therapeutic use of acupuncture -whether for emotional health or other concerns- is that results are best achieved when the patient is comfortable and at ease during treatment.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom of this page or better yet, book your complementary meet and greet initial consult with me!
Yours in Health,
Dr. Negin
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