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IMPACT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SLEEP QUALITY ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Poor sleep quality links to health issues like obesity and insulin resistance. Heart rate variability (HRV) measures autonomic nervous system imbalance, possibly connecting poor sleep to these problems. Emerging evidence suggests a negative link between physical activity (PA) and HRV. However, past studies mainly used subjective questionnaires, neglecting college students (CS) who often have suboptimal sleep habits. Our study explores sleep quality, PA, and HRV in CS. METHODS: Fifteen highly active CS (7 male, 8 female; age = 20.6 ± 2.0 yr; BMI = 23.9 ± 3.8 kg/m2; body fat = 18.9 ± 7.4%) underwent 7 days of PA and sleep assessment using accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X). Subjects wore the device on their hip during waking hours and on their non-dominant wrist during sleep. HRV was assessed over 24 hours using a continuous measurement device worn on the chest (Wellue 24-hour ECG recorder). RESULTS: A negative association was found between daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) minutes and the low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF:HF Ratio) (r = -0.63, P = 0.015). Those with a higher LF:HF Ratio spent less time in MVPA (4.6% ± 0.7) compared to those with a lower LF:HF Ratio (7.5% ± 3.0, P = 0.03), and accumulated fewer average MVPA minutes per hour (2.6 ± 0.4 vs. 4.1 ± 1.7, p = 0.04). Unexpectedly, sleep efficiency (r = -0.68, P = 0.008) and average awakenings per night (r = 0.81, P = 0.001) were associated with a higher root mean square of successive RR intervals (RMSSD). CONCLUSIONS: The LF:HF ratio reflects autonomic nervous system balance, with a higher ratio indicating greater imbalance. Results suggest that less daily MVPA is associated with more significant autonomic imbalance. The connection between sleep and RMSSD remains unclear, but low sleep efficiency and frequent awakenings may hinder achieving rapid-eye-movement sleep, increasing sympathetic activity and reducing HRV.

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