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The Effect of Stress-Reducing Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review

Ouahiba El-Malahi1, Darya Mohajeri1, Alexander Bäuerle2,3

  • 1Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, West-German Heart and Vascular Center Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.

Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 27, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Stress-reducing interventions significantly improve heart rate variability (HRV) in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. These interventions positively impact key HRV markers, aiding in CVD management and patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Research
  • Psychophysiology

Background:

  • Stress is a major factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD) development and progression.
  • Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system function and predicts cardiovascular mortality.
  • Understanding the impact of stress on HRV is crucial for CVD management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of stress-reducing interventions on HRV parameters in CVD patients.
  • To assess the impact of these interventions on time-domain and frequency-domain HRV measures.
  • To determine the overall efficacy of stress reduction in modulating HRV for improved cardiovascular health.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature review of trials investigating stress-reducing interventions and HRV in CVD.
  • Meta-analysis of eligible studies using a random-effects model.
  • Analysis of standard deviation of Normal-to-Normal intervals (SDNN) and low-frequency power (LF) parameters.

Main Results:

  • Stress-reducing interventions showed beneficial effects on short-term and 24-hour SDNN.
  • Significant improvements were observed in short-term LF power.
  • Effect sizes were notably high with significant p-values for all analyzed HRV parameters.

Conclusions:

  • Stress-reducing interventions effectively modulate HRV, specifically improving SDNN and LF parameters.
  • These findings underscore the importance of stress management in mitigating CVD progression.
  • Implementing stress-reduction strategies can lead to better patient outcomes in cardiovascular disease.

Keywords:
cardiac rehabilitationcardiovascular diseaseheart rate variabilitystress managementstress reduction

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