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Published on: September 21, 2018
The influence of age on heart rate variability during morning wakefulness
Elizabeth Anne Goff1, Christian L Nicholas, Anura S Malaweera
1Clinical and Academic Unit of Sleep and Ventilation, Royal Brompton Hospital, Imperial College, Fulham Road, London SW3 6NP, UK. e.goff@imperial.ac.uk
Insights
Older adults do not show changes in cardiac autonomic control during morning wakefulness, unlike younger adults. This suggests age-related differences in heart rate variability do not explain the increased cardiac events in older individuals during this time.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Gerontology
- Physiology
Background:
- Early morning hours are linked to a higher incidence of cardiac events.
- The impact of aging on cardiac regulation during this critical period remains unclear.
- Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system activity, crucial for cardiac control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of age on cardiac autonomic regulation during morning and evening wakefulness and sleep.
- To compare heart rate variability (HRV) patterns between young and older adults.
- To determine if age-related changes in HRV during morning wakefulness contribute to increased cardiac events.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving healthy young (20-30 years) and older (>60 years) men and women.
- Analysis of stable electrocardiogram data using power spectral analysis to assess HRV.
- Repeated measures ANOVA used to compare HRV across wake/sleep stages and age/gender groups.
Main Results:
- Young adults exhibited higher low-frequency power and LF/HF ratios during morning wakefulness compared to sleep.
- Older adults showed no significant variations in HRV parameters across different wake and sleep stages.
- Observed effects were consistent across both genders.
Conclusions:
- Older adults do not display increased sympathetic dominance upon waking in the morning.
- Age-related alterations in autonomic control, as measured by HRV, are unlikely to be the primary cause of increased cardiac events in older individuals during early morning hours.
Objective:
Early morning wakefulness is associated with a peak in cardiac events. The influence of ageing on cardiac regulation during this time is unknown. This cross-sectional study of healthy men and women (n = 40, 20-30 and >60 years) investigated the effect of age on heart rate variability (HRV) during morning versus evening wakefulness and sleep.
Methods:
Stable electrocardiogram data during each wake period and sleep stage was analysed using power spectral analysis. HRV measurements were assessed using two (young, older) by two (male, female) ANOVAs with repeated measures on wake/sleep stage.
Results:
Young adults experienced increased low-frequency power and low-frequency/high-frequency ratios during morning wakefulness versus slow wave sleep (p < 0.01). Older adults did not show any variation in any HRV variables across wake and sleep stages. All effects were independent of gender.
Interpretation:
Older adults did not experience increased sympathetic dominance during morning wakefulness; thus in the older population, fluctuations in autonomic control, indicated by HRV measurements, are unlikely to account for increased occurrence of cardiac events at this time.
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