HRV, Vagal Nerve Training & Nervous System Recovery with Matt Bennett

HRV, vagal nerve training, and nervous system recovery are at the center of this conversation with Matt Bennett, founder of Optimal HRV. Freddie and Matt break down what heart rate variability actually measures, why "higher is always better" isn't the full picture, and how training your vagal nerve — through resonance frequency breathing — works like strength training for your autonomic nervous system.

They cover RMSSD, SDNN, and how to build a real personal baseline instead of chasing a generic readiness score. You'll hear the real cost of alcohol on nervous system recovery, why walking outperforms running for HRV, the four pillars of HRV (sleep, nutrition, movement, breathing), and how military units, professional athletes, and clinicians all use the same vagal nerve training principles to recover faster and perform under pressure.

If you want your nervous system to recover instead of just survive the day — this is the episode.