How to read your Garmin HRV Status

HRV Status places your recent night-time HRV against a personal range and labels it Balanced, Unbalanced or Low. Independent explainers describe the baseline as taking about three weeks of wear to form.

“Unbalanced” only means you are outside your own range — above or below it. Garmin users often ask why it appears after a good stretch: the range itself moves as your readings change.

We have not confirmed from Garmin which HRV formula HRV Status uses, so we do not label it here.

HRV type: Night-time, vs your personal range (formula not confirmed).

Compare a night with your own usual range over the last weeks, not with another person or another device. A single low night is most often a reaction to something specific — a short night, alcohol, an infection, stress or hard training. Several days below your range together with a higher resting heart rate and feeling unwell are a reason to rest.

Scores such as Readiness, Recovery, Nightly Recharge or HRV Status are each maker’s own algorithm. Two devices on the same night can show different HRV numbers because they measure at different times and with different formulas; neither is “wrong”.

Garmin’s developer program page currently has no application form, only a note to stay tuned for updates. Until Garmin reopens access we cannot build a direct connection.

Through Apple Health

We have not confirmed that Garmin writes HRV to Apple Health, so we do not promise that your Garmin HRV will appear in ONDA. If your device is not Apple Watch, ONDA can still measure your pulse with the iPhone camera, along with a breathing-rate estimate. The camera gives pulse, not HRV.