Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026
Calculating Heart Rate Variability from ECG Data from Youth with Cerebral Palsy During Active Video Game Sessions
Published on: June 5, 2019
Heart rate variability as a marker of healthy ageing
Jason Por How Tan1, Jessica Elise Beilharz1, Uté Vollmer-Conna1
1School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Background:
With population ageing a significant concern, modifiable factors contributing to healthy ageing must be identified. Autonomic responding reflected by heart rate variability (HRV) has well-established links to general health and wellbeing in younger populations; but has yet to be explored in older individuals.
Methods:
Forty-five healthy participants (49-82 years old) completed questionnaires about sleep and physical and psychological health. Autonomic activity was measured during rest and whilst completing a computerised battery of cognitive tasks. Participants then wore an ambulatory heart rate monitor overnight, and recorded their sleep and physical activity for one week. HRV parameters reflecting cardiac vagal tone were derived from electrocardiograph recordings.
Results:
Age and resting HRV were not related; however a positive association was identified between higher HRV in the 2 h prior to sleep and older age. Higher resting HRV, older age, and better sleep quality significantly predicted psychological wellbeing; and fewer somatic and physical health symptoms and older age predicted better average sleep quality ratings. Older age and poorer general health were significant predictors of cognitive performance deficits.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that an age-related decline in HRV is not inevitable. Longitudinal designs exploring within-individual changes in cardiac vagal tone are required to better understand the factors contributing to healthy ageing.
More Related Videos
05:48Autonomic Function Following Concussion in Youth Athletes: An Exploration of Heart Rate Variability Using 24-hour Recording Methodology
Published on: September 21, 2018
07:49Author Spotlight: Investigating HR-Dependent Cardiac Function in Mouse Models Through a Novel Atrial-Pacing Approach
Published on: July 21, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:31Regulation of Heart Rates
The SNS increases heart rate through the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine, which act on beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the heart. This action increases the rate of depolarization in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's...
01:30Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...
01:19Cardiac Output I:Effect of Heart Rate on Cardiac Output
Cardiac output (CO) refers to the total amount of blood ejected by one of the ventricles in liters per minute (L/min). In a resting adult, CO ranges from 5 to 6 L/min, adjusting according to the body's metabolic requirements.
Effect of Heart Rate on Cardiac Output
Cardiac output adapts to metabolic demands during stress, physical activity, or illness. The autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate via the sinoatrial node. The parasympathetic nervous system decreases heart...
01:11Variability: Analysis
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...
01:09Random Variables
Uppercase letters such as X or Y denote a random variable. Lowercase letters like x or y denote the value of a random variable. If X is a random variable, then X is written in words, and x is given as a number.
For example, let X = the...
01:26Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...