A: BioForce HRV was designed to ensure that the data used to calculate HRV was as accurate as possible. Because of this, when the signal between the transmitter and receiver is not strong and there are too many missed beats, or when there are difficulties getting accurate R-R intervals from your heart beat, the test is aborted and you need to retest. You will see “pulse” and “Valid R-R” in the top corners of the screen. These should both be green during testing and turn red when errors are occurring.

Most commonly, these errors occur due to poor transmission from the wireless transmitter belt. First, make sure to get the belt wet to improve the signal prior to using it. These belts are designed to be used during exercise, not during rest and it can make a big difference to make sure the electrodes are wet. These belts also wear out fairly frequently so if that doesn’t work, try replacing the belt altogether and always make sure you’re using a BioForce HRV compatible belt to begin with. Also, make sure you’re holding the receiver close enough to the belt.

If this does not work and you are frequently seeing the “Valid R-R” indicator in the upper right hand corner going red during the test, you may need to take the test in the sitting or even standing position. This can occur due to individual variances in heart rhythm outside the norms and/or in people with very high HRV and very low resting HR. Also, please make sure you have downloaded the latest version of BioForce HRV as an early problem was corrected with an update that addressed this “Valid R-R” issue.