How Chiropractic Care Supports Heart Rate Variability and Your Health
Your heart rate changes all the time—whether you're resting, exercising, stressed, or calm.
These fluctuations, known as heart rate variability (HRV), are a sign of how well your nervous system is functioning. A high HRV means your body is flexible, adaptive, and handling stress well. A low HRV can signal that your body is under pressure and not responding optimally.
Your brain and nervous system control HRV without you even thinking about it. But when your spine isn’t moving properly—what chiropractors call a subluxation—it can interfere with how well your brain senses what’s happening in and around your body. This, in turn, may impair how effectively your nervous system can regulate important functions like your heart rate.
This is where chiropractic care comes in. When chiropractors perform gentle adjustments to restore proper spinal motion, it helps improve the communication between your brain and body. Research shows that chiropractic care can positively influence HRV, particularly by activating the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) branch of the autonomic nervous system.
🔬 What does the science say?
A 2017 systematic review by Kovanur-Sampath et al. examined the effects of chiropractic care on HRV and found a consistent trend toward improvements in autonomic nervous system balance, especially through increased parasympathetic activity.¹
Another large-scale study by Daligadu et al. (2013) included 539 patients who had their HRV measured before and after chiropractic adjustments. The results showed immediate improvements in HRV, and for those receiving care over four weeks, those improvements remained consistent.²
Research by Haavik and Murphy has also shown that spinal dysfunction can affect the way the brain processes information from the body and how it controls responses.³ When spinal joint movement is improved through adjustments, the brain becomes better at detecting and responding to changes in your environment—reflected in better HRV readings.
In today’s fast-paced, stress-heavy world, taking care of your nervous system is more important than ever. Chiropractic care may help your body adapt better to stress, improve your overall health, and keep your systems balanced and resilient.
A healthy spine = a healthy nervous system = a healthier you.
References
Kovanur-Sampath K, et al. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice. 2017;29:120–31.
Daligadu J, et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT). 2013;36(8):527–37.
Haavik H & Murphy B. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2012;22(5):768–76.
