Use Your Heart Rate Monitor to Improve Your Health (feat. Torkil Færø)

Have you ever wondered how much your body is telling you—and what you might be missing? Could looking at one more metric from your wearable device, like  heart rate variability (HRV), unlock the secrets to better sleep, reduced stress, and improved overall health?  In this episode of Salad with a Side of Fries, Jenn Trepeck welcomes Dr. Torkil Færø, a GP, emergency physician, author of The Pulse Cure, and advocate for the transformative power of wearables in health optimization. Torkil shares his journey of exploring devices like Whoop and Garmin to uncover hidden stressors, track heart rate variability (HRV), and make meaningful lifestyle changes that dramatically improve health. From understanding the connection between HRV and chronic stress to identifying surprising factors like late-night meals and alcohol that impact sleep and recovery, this conversation dives deep into how wearables can enhance our understanding of the body. Dr. Færø also discusses HRV’s role in improving PMS symptoms, offers actionable advice for boosting HRV, and explains why personalized data is key to unlocking better health.  The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.  IN THIS EPISODE: [6:04] Dr. Færø explains why he began to focus on wearables[11:26] Humans can’t sense our inner stress levels[14:55] Heart rate numbers are individual, and the connection between low heart rate and disease[23:34] Unexpected sources of stress and the sleep connection[29:21] How heart rate variability can improve PMS symptoms[32:45] Dr. Faero gives advice to see improvement in heart rate variability KEY TAKEAWAYS: HRV is a powerful tool for tracking stress and overall health. By using wearables to monitor HRV, individuals can learn how lifestyle choices—like diet, alcohol intake, and exercise—affect their bodies. A higher HRV typically reflects a restful, adaptive state, while a lower HRV may indicate chronic stress or other concerns. Notably, the focus is on individual patterns and baselines rather than comparing numbers with others, ensuring a personalized approach to health tracking.Wearables can uncover hidden stressors, like inflammatory foods or alcohol, that traditional medical training can overlook. By making informed changes, such as reducing alcohol intake, eating earlier dinners, and incorporating stress management techniques like breathwork or cold plunges. These tools serve as a modern extension of human senses, allowing users to “listen” to their bodies in ways evolution never equipped us for.Eating late or consuming alcohol can lower heart rate variability (HRV), resulting in less restorative sleep, even if total sleep hours are unchanged. To improve sleep quality, it’s essential to wind down 1–2 hours before bedtime through calming activities like meditation, dimming lights, and avoiding late-night meals or alcohol. Additionally, keeping the bedroom cool (around 67–68°F) enhances sleep quality, as seen through wearable HRV data.Wearables provide insight into stress and health management. Devices like Whoop and Garmin track HRV, offering data on recovery, stress levels, and readiness for physical or mental exertion. This information can help prevent burnout by signaling when stress levels are unsustainable and encouraging proactive adjustments like yoga, better sleep habits, or dietary changes. For women, these wearables have even been used to manage PMS symptoms by identifying stress patterns and adjusting activities accordingly. QUOTES:          [7:02] “I understood that there was a metric called heart rate variability that could show and track these improvements. So if I did something good for my health, that will be revealed in the heart rate.” Dr. Færø [10:36] “Heart rate variability essentially shows the time between heartbeats. We want that number to be higher, right? When that number is higher, there's greater variability between those heartbeats, it's a sign of the body being in a restful state where it can adapt to whatever is coming at us.” Jenn Trepeck [12:28] “I think the piece that's really important for all of us is to recognize is the body can be in a stress response, even when we don't intellectually register stress.” - Jenn Trepeck [24:35] “Heart rate variability and sleep are intimately connected.” - Jenn Trepeck [35:20] “Breathe slowly; nobody will notice if you're in a meeting, or if you're on a phone call. Slow down your breath, and close your eyes so that throughout the day, you calm your nervous system down.” Dr. Færø [37:06] “It's only when you get sick, that's when your health depends on your wallet.” Dr. Færø "It's like you have a speedometer for your physiology." - Torkil Færø RESOURCES: Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries Jenn’s Free Menu Plan A Salad With a Side of Fries A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram SheMD Website SheMD on Spotify SheMD on YouTube GUEST RESOURCES: The Pulse Cure - Website Torkil Faero - Instagram Torkil Faero - Facebook Torkil Faero - LinkedIn GUEST BIOGRAPHY:  Dr. Torkil Færø is a GP, emergency physician, documentary filmmaker, author, and photographer. Over a 26-year career as a freelance doctor, he has worked all over Norway, had a hundred thousand consultations and thus gained a unique picture of the diseases that plague us. He learned that the cause is most often found in the stresses our lifestyles place on our bodies. When his father died at 73, he realized that he had to change his lifestyle. Being 40 pounds overweight, under-trained, over-stressed, under-slept and drinking alcohol daily, he learned that this lifestyle could deprive him of decades. He found a way to track and regulate his nervous system and physiology using wearables. Færø is an award-winning photographer and author of The Camera Cure and has made TV films about his pilgrimages to Nidaros and Santiago de Compostela. An inveterate traveler, he has visited over 80 countries and speaks eight languages. He lives in Norway.