Stress Watch: The Use of Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability to Detect Stress: A Pilot Study Using Smart Watch...

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Psychology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Chronic stress can negatively impact health, necessitating early intervention.
• Real-time stress monitoring could enable self-intervention and mitigate mental health decline.
• Understanding stress responses requires stratifying individuals by baseline stress levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if heart rate variability (HRV) changes predict acute stress response quality in different cohorts.
• To develop a physiological algorithm for stress monitoring applicable to smartwatch technology.
• To assess the influence of baseline stress on HRV changes during and after acute stress tasks.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 60 participants (30 student doctors, 30 general population).
• Utilized the Trier Stress Test to induce acute stress.
• Recorded electrocardiograms (ECGs) and inter-second heart rate (using FitBit) during resting and stress phases.

Main Results:

• Failed to identify universal patterns of HRV and heart rate (HR) changes during stress.
• Identified novel changes in HRV and HR between resting and stress states.
• Baseline anxiety and stress levels significantly influence HRV measurements.

Conclusions:

• HRV as a stress measure needs to account for baseline anxiety and stress states for accuracy.
• Future stress-monitoring algorithms must incorporate individual baseline physiological data.
• Personalized biofeedback systems could enhance stress management strategies.