Heart Rate Variability (HRV): How to Stay Calm Under Pressure | Dr. Andy Galpin & Dr. Lenny Wiersma
In a Nutshell
HRV biofeedback trains athletes to shift from sympathetic dominance to balanced autonomic control using a 4-second inhale and 6-second exhale breathing pattern. Visual feedback on a screen proves the technique works by showing the heart rate trace match the target coherence pattern, building belief that breath alone can down-regulate physiology under pressure. Athletes learn to treat breath control as the first step to self-regulation: you cannot control performance until you control yourself, and the same 4-6 rhythm can be used without equipment in competition.
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One of the biofeedback programs used is HRV combined with breathing techniques. An athlete is hooked up to the biofeedback system. The practitioner explains that the screen shows heart rate and then shifts into an explanation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, noting that athletes are already skilled at sympathetic activation.
A whiteboard is used to illustrate what happens physiologically during breathing, specifically why extending the exhale affects heart rate and the relationship between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. The goal is to reach a state of coherence, defined as balance between the two systems. The practitioner draws the desired heart rate pattern on the whiteboard.
Athletes are instructed to close their eyes and follow a guided breathing technique intended for use right before competition. Upon opening their eyes, they see their actual heart rate pattern on the screen matches exactly what was drawn on the whiteboard. This visual confirmation creates belief that the breathing produces measurable physiological change.
A follow-up session removes the immediate visual feedback during practice, then shows the results afterward. The key message is that simply taking a moment to compose and control breathing produces the desired regulatory effect without changing anything else in the environment.
The approach is framed not as relaxation but as down-regulation or achieving greater composure. Understanding the mechanism (why it works and what happens physiologically) makes the tool more powerful than simply feeling tight and wanting to feel different.
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