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Effect of athletic training on heart rate variability
D M Sacknoff1, G W Gleim, N Stachenfeld
1Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY 10021.
American Heart Journal
|May 1, 1994
Summary
Chronic exercise impacts heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Frequency domain measures may inaccurately reflect cardiac vagal tone in endurance athletes, suggesting activity level is crucial for prognostic stratification.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Exercise Physiology
- Autonomic Nervous System Function
Background:
- Heart rate variability (HRV) components are used for cardiac prognosis.
- Habitual exercise influences parasympathetic tone, affecting HRV.
- The impact of chronic exercise on HRV analysis remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of chronic exercise on time and frequency domain measures of heart rate variability.
- To assess the accuracy of HRV analysis in reflecting cardiac vagal tone in athletes versus controls.
Main Methods:
- Studied 12 athletes and 18 control subjects.
- Performed time and frequency domain analysis on 15-minute resting heart rate recordings.
- Assessed standard deviation of R-R intervals, total power, and high-frequency power.
Main Results:
- Athletes showed increased time domain vagal activity (e.g., standard deviation of R-R intervals) compared to controls.
- Athletes exhibited decreased frequency domain vagal activity (e.g., total power, high-frequency power).
- Correlation between time and frequency domain variables reflecting parasympathetic tone was observed in controls but not in athletes.
Conclusions:
- Frequency domain analysis of HRV may not accurately indicate cardiac vagal tone in endurance athletes.
- Activity level, specifically chronic training, should be considered when using HRV for prognostic stratification in heart disease patients.