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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Reduced heart rate variability during sleep in long-duration spaceflight.

D Xu¹, J K Shoemaker, A P Blaber

¹Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

|May 3, 2013

Summary

Astronauts experienced reduced heart rate variability (HRV) during spaceflight sleep, indicating altered reflex mechanisms. However, the underlying complexity and fractal dynamics of heart rate regulation remained unchanged.

Keywords:

accelerometery complexity and fractal analysis heart rate power spectral analysis

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Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Published on: August 8, 2019

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular physiology
Space medicine
Human physiology

Background:

Limited data exist on heart rate (HR) regulation during sleep in spaceflight.
Sleep offers a stable supine baseline for comparing heart rate variability (HRV) using various analytical methods.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of long-duration spaceflight on HR and HRV during sleep.
To compare preflight, inflight, and postflight physiological data.

Main Methods:

Electrocardiographic waveforms from Holter monitors and accelerometer data were collected from seven astronauts.
Data were analyzed using linear, complexity, and fractal indicators of HRV.
Measurements were taken before, during, and after spaceflight missions up to 6 months.

Main Results:

Heart rate (HR) remained unchanged inflight but was elevated postflight. HRV indicators significantly decreased inflight across all frequencies, with partial recovery postflight.
Complexity and fractal properties of HR did not differ from preflight.
Slow HR fluctuations correlated with sleep movements, partly explaining HRV reduction.

Conclusions:

Spaceflight significantly alters periodic elements influencing HR regulation via reflex mechanisms during sleep.
Linear methods revealed substantial HRV reduction, while complexity and fractal analyses showed no significant changes.
Underlying system complexity and fractal dynamics of HR regulation appear preserved during spaceflight.