My HRV is 24ms and I'm 39. Should I be worried?

A sustained HRV of 24 ms RMSSD in a 39-year-old man who trains consistently is below the expected range for active men in their late 30s (typically 40–60 ms) and warrants attention, not panic, but a structured evaluation of what is driving the suppressed parasympathetic tone (Shaffer & Ginsberg, Front Public Health, 2017).

Before you worry about pathology, audit the obvious causes. Chronic alcohol use (even moderate daily drinking) suppresses HRV measurably. High training volume without adequate recovery does too. Elevated cortisol from sustained work stress or sleep debt is one of the most common HRV suppressors in the exact population who owns wearables, high-performing men 35–50 who grind hard, sleep short, and repeat. If you have cleaned up alcohol, are sleeping 7–8 hours, and are not overtraining, and your HRV is still consistently below 25 ms, that changes the clinical calculus.

Honesty Scale: Solid (1) for the interpretation that 24 ms is below age-expected norms in an active man. The specific clinical significance depends on your personal cardiovascular risk profile.

What to do: Track for 30 days with alcohol removed, sleep protected (7–8 hours minimum), and training load reduced by 20%. If the number does not improve at all, schedule a cardiovascular evaluation. Bring your wearable trend data to the appointment, it is useful clinical information.

For the full picture, read Your Whoop Is Worried. Here Is What It Actually Found.