Heart Rate Variability Podcast

Studies & Resources Discussed Insomnia and HRV in Medical Students Publication: Cureus Title: “Insomnia and Its Impact on Psychomotor Reactivity, Autonomic Function, and Psychological Well-Being Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study” Authors: Dhanusri, Rajalakshmi, Prakash, Bharadwaj, and Harichandrakumar Key Finding:  The severity of insomnia among medical students was as...

Studies & Resources Discussed   HRV Biofeedback for PTSD & Chronic Pain Publication: Journal of Affective Disorders Title: "Heart rate variability biofeedback improves co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain symptoms: A randomised waitlist controlled trial" Key Finding: This is the first RCT for this co-occurring population. Just six weeks of HRV biofeedback (HRVBF) led...

Find the article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2839605 Episode Summary In this insightful episode of The Heart Rate Variability Podcast , host Matt Bennett sits down with Dr. David Eddie , a clinical psychologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Together, they explore how Heart Rate Variabil...

Show Notes Resource 1: Title: Associations between mental health disorder symptoms and cardiac function among Royal Canadian Mounted police cadets during the Cadet training program Authors: R.N. Carleton, T.A. Teckchandani, J.P. Neary, J.E. Samayoa, J.M.B. Khoury, K.Q. Maguire, G.P. Krätzig, & G.J.G. Asmundson Publication: Journal of Psychiatric Research Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/sci...

Show Notes Resource 1: Title: Top 50 scariest movies of 2025 (and Fright Night Physiology) Publication: WISN.com / Science of Scare Project Link: https://www.wisn.com/article/top-50-scariest-movies-2025/69140286 Resource 2: Title: Heart Rate Variability as a Key to Regulation and Stress Author: D. N. Solomon Publication: Psychology Today Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-narrative-...

Show Notes Resource 1: Title: Pleasant odors specifically promote a soothing autonomic response and brain–body coupling through respiratory modulation Authors: Valentin Ghibaudo, Matthias Turrel, Jules Granget, Maëlys Souilhol, Samuel Garcia, Jane Plailly & Nathalie Buonviso Publication: Scientific Reports Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-20422-x Resource 2: Title: Improved non...

Resonance Frequency Breathing Explained In this solo episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast, Matt Bennett explores the science and practicality of resonance frequency breathing, a term he notices is often misused. He introduces his AI counterpart, AI Matt, to present the research on resonance frequency breathing, which involves finding a natural rhythm for breathing that aligns with the bod...

Show Notes Resource 1: Title: The relationship between heart rate variability and affective disorders: associations with symptomatic improvement and therapeutic alliance Authors: Alexandra F. Gonçalves, Eugénia Ribeiro, Adriana Sampaio, Natividade S. Couto-Pereira, Pedro Moreira & Joana F. Coutinho Publication: BMC Psychology Link: https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s4035...

Below are the links to the studies and articles discussed in this episode: Personalized Respiratory Guidance for HRV: Lin, Z., Kong, W., Qiu, S., Luo, M., Wei, J., Guo, X., ... & Dan, G. (2025). High-precision personalized respiratory guidance model for enhanced breathing training: effects on heart rate variability. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control , 100 , 108720. https://www.sciencedi...

In this episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast , host Matt Bennett sits down once again with Dr. Inna Khazan , a leading expert in HRV biofeedback and applied psychophysiology. Together, they unpack one of the most fascinating and misunderstood aspects of heart rate variability — low-frequency HRV — and its connection to self-regulation, stress resilience, and overall wellness. Understandin...

Welcome to the show notes for this week’s episode – This Week in HRV Edition. Below, you’ll find direct links to all the studies and articles discussed in this episode. These sources represent the latest research connecting HRV to mental health, resilience, environmental design, and leadership. Research Studies: Multisensory environmental effects on HRV and psychological restoration – Scientific R...

In this episode, we review seven new studies published between September 19 and September 25, 2025. Together, they highlight the many ways HRV intersects with brain activity, breathing practices, cardiac recovery, exercise environments, emergency medicine, environmental stressors, and new multimodal measurement approaches. We’ll explore: How brain networks and cognitive load shape HRV readings. Wh...

Refrences: Ferreira S, Rodrigues M A, Mateus C, Rodrigues P P, Rocha N B. Interventions Based on Biofeedback Systems to Improve Workers’ Psychological Well-Being, Mental Health, and Safety: Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2025). DOI: 10.2196/70134. JMIR+2JMIR+2 Lässing J, Wegener F, Höpker N, Hottenrott K, Gronwald T, Falz R. Heart rate variability response of i...

In this episode, Matt Bennett explores how to apply the research on HRV training through muscle contraction into personal practice.   References for this episode.  Fred Shaffer's work:  https://youtu.be/ajwgwzn2ZUo Sources for this summary: Vaschillo/Lehrer et al., laboratory demonstration that 0.1-Hz rhythmic skeletal muscle tension increases 0.1-Hz power in heart rate, systolic pressure, and pul...

This week’s episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast explores three new publications from September 5–11, 2025. We look at advances in contactless HRV monitoring using millimeter-wave radar, how physical fatigue alters time-domain and nonlinear HRV metrics, and a review of how accurate consumer wearables really are when tracking HRV. We dive into what these findings mean for clinicians, resea...

References MacDonald, D. M., et al. (2025). Two-week heart rate variability measurements and lung health: A cross-sectional analysis in the ARIC Study. Respiratory Medicine, 234 , 108338. https://www.resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(25)00401-9/abstract Kamiya, Y., Saita, K., Kaneko, F., Li, J., & Okamura, H. (2025). Association between sense of coherence and phasic heart rate variability u...

Featured Studies Wu, Y-R., Su, W-S., Lin, K-D., & Lin, I-M. (2025). Effect of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback on Cardiac Autonomic Activation and Diabetes Self-Care in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 50 (3), 315–327. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-024-09666-x Kula, Y., Iversen, Z., Levine, A.D., & Gidron, Y. (2025). Do...

In this episode, Matt Bennett welcomes Jarhed Peña Jarhed to the show to discuss how he discovered and applies heart rate variability and HRV biofeedback into his therapeutic work. We cover a wide range of typics, research, and applications of HRV.  http://recoveryandbalance.com/

We did it! 200 original episodes of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast. We celebrate with a look back and forward. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

In this episode, Stephanie White joins Matt Bennett to discuss how she utilizes SDNN and CVNN HRV metrics in her work on chronic disease and autonomic dysregulation.  Stephanie uses visual demonstrations throughout this episode. You can see these visuals on our YouTube Channel.  https://youtu.be/gj6DHPSWEVY

In this episode, Matt Bennett interviews Dr. Erik Peper on his recent article  Pain - There is Hope . We discuss the nature and experience of pain and factors that can increase or midigate pain.  Erik Peper’s teaching and research focuses on self-healing strategies, illness prevention, the effects of posture and respiration, and how to use biofeedback and wearable devices. Each year he mentors und...

In this episode, Dr. Angele McGrady and Dr. Donald Moss join Matt Bennett to talk about how heart rate variability informs their Pathway Model. We discuss their new book:  Pathways through Long-Term Health Conditions: Lifestyle Medicine to Maximise Your Wellbeing.

In this episode, Dr. Deborah Borne returns to discuss how she has integrated energy medicine with her work as a physician. Deb and Matt Bennett explore the nature of energy medicine and the role HRV plays in measuring efficacy and supporting outcomes.

In this episode, Lynda Thompson joins Matt Bennett to discuss her career and research with HRV biofeedback, neurofeedback, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We do a deep dive into her recent paper: Synergy between Neurofeedback and Biofeedback Enhances Therapeutic Outcomes. 

In this episode, Anu Kotay joins Matt Bennett to discuss her career, heart rate variability, and how a team of innovative professionals integrates HRV into pain medicine within a large healthcare system.