What does my HRV reading mean?

HRV (Heart Rate Variability) RMSSD is reported by Apple Watch, Garmin, Whoop, and Oura as a single number in milliseconds. If you have looked up your reading and want to know if it is good, average, or a signal to change something — this is where to start.

Each page below covers one specific RMSSD value: what it means relative to age-group norms, what it typically indicates about your recovery and fitness, and what to do about it. Find your number and click through.

Before you read your number:

HRV baselines vary significantly by age, genetics, fitness level, and device. A single reading is less informative than a 7-day rolling average. Use the interpretation pages as context for your personal trend — not as a diagnosis. For full population reference data and age-group comparisons, see the HRV Chart by Age.

Low range

10 msvery lowsignificant autonomic stress15 mslowelevated stress load20 mslowreduced recovery capacity

Below average range

25 msbelow averagesuboptimal recovery or elevated stress load30 msbelow averagemoderate recovery deficit or age-appropriate baseline for older adults35 msbelow averagebelow average for most adults under 50

Average range

40 msaverageadequate baseline recovery and autonomic balance for most adults over 4545 msaveragehealthy baseline recovery and adequate cardiovascular fitness50 msaverage to goodgood baseline recovery and healthy autonomic tone for most adults

Good range

55 msgoodgood cardiovascular fitness60 msgoodstrong recovery65 msgoodstrong autonomic health70 msgoodexcellent recovery75 msgood to eliteexcellent cardiovascular fitness

Elite range

80 msvery good to eliteelite-level cardiovascular fitness85 mseliteelite cardiovascular fitness90 mseliteexceptional cardiovascular fitness and elite autonomic regulation100 mseliteelite cardiovascular fitness and exceptional autonomic regulation associated with top-tier endurance athletes110 mseliteelite endurance athlete level of autonomic adaptation120 mseliteworld-class autonomic adaptation consistent with elite competitive endurance athletics

All HRV values

ValueCategoryPrimary signal
10 msvery lowsignificant autonomic stressView →
15 mslowelevated stress loadView →
20 mslowreduced recovery capacityView →
25 msbelow averagesuboptimal recovery or elevated stress loadView →
30 msbelow averagemoderate recovery deficit or age-appropriate baseline for older adultsView →
35 msbelow averagebelow average for most adults under 50View →
40 msaverageadequate baseline recovery and autonomic balance for most adults over 45View →
45 msaveragehealthy baseline recovery and adequate cardiovascular fitnessView →
50 msaverage to goodgood baseline recovery and healthy autonomic tone for most adultsView →
55 msgoodgood cardiovascular fitnessView →
60 msgoodstrong recoveryView →
65 msgoodstrong autonomic healthView →
70 msgoodexcellent recoveryView →
75 msgood to eliteexcellent cardiovascular fitnessView →
80 msvery good to eliteelite-level cardiovascular fitnessView →
85 mseliteelite cardiovascular fitnessView →
90 mseliteexceptional cardiovascular fitness and elite autonomic regulationView →
100 mseliteelite cardiovascular fitness and exceptional autonomic regulation associated with top-tier endurance athletesView →
110 mseliteelite endurance athlete level of autonomic adaptationView →
120 mseliteworld-class autonomic adaptation consistent with elite competitive endurance athleticsView →

Related HRV guides

HRV Chart by Age

Complete RMSSD population norms for ages 20–65+. See where your reading falls on the full age spectrum.

What is HRV?

A plain-English explanation of what heart rate variability measures and why it matters for training and recovery.

What is RMSSD?

Why RMSSD is the HRV metric most wearables report, and how it differs from other HRV calculations.

HRV-Guided Training

How to use your daily HRV readings to decide when to train hard and when to recover.