Ep 154 - What Low HRV Is Telling You About Stress, Hormones, and Blood Sugar

About this episode

This episode discusses the implications of low heart rate variability on stress, hormones, and blood sugar, particularly for women in midlife.

Have you ever looked at your HRV score and thought… what does this even mean? If you wear an Oura Ring, Apple Watch, sleep tracker, or use any device that gives you heart rate variability data, this episode is for you. In today's solo episode, I'm breaking down HRV (heart rate variability) in plain English — especially for women navigating midlife hormones and type 1 diabetes . Because if your blood sugar has been feeling more stubborn lately… if your fasting numbers are creeping up… if your sleep is off… or if you feel tired, wired, and more on edge than usual… Low HRV may be one clue your body is carrying more stress than you realize. And I'm not just talking about emotional stress. I'm talking about the kind of physiological stress that can come from: shifting estrogen and progesterone poor sleep blood sugar swings insulin resistance the mental load of living with diabetes In this episode, I will explain: what HRV actually is (without the confusing tech language) why it often drops in perimenopause and menopause How low HRV can impact cortisol, insulin sensitivity, and fasting glucose what it can feel like in real life and 5 simple ways to support your nervous system and…

People in this episode

Host: Melissa Slemp

Topics covered

• heart rate variability
• stress
• hormones
• blood sugar
• perimenopause
• menopause

Keywords

• HRV
• stress physiology
• insulin resistance
• blood sugar management
• hormonal changes

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Oura Ring, Apple Watch, sleep tracker

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• Ep 153 - What Labs to Ask for When You're Told "Everything Is Normal" · April 13, 2026 · 42 min
• Ep 152 - Why Muscle Matters More After 40 (Especially with Type 1 Diabetes) · April 6, 2026 · 18 min
• Ep 151 - Mental Health Is Health: Inside Diabetes + Mental Health Conference with Cassandra Donahue · March 30, 2026 · 36 min
• Ep 150 - Meet the Contributors to Highs, Lows & Hormones — A Survival Guide for Women with Diabetes from Monthly Cycles to Menopause · March 23, 2026 · 1h 1m