Impact of Mental and Physical Stress on Blood Pressure and Pulse Pressure under Normobaric versus Hypoxic Conditions

Abstract

ObjectiveHypobaric hypoxia, physical and psychosocial stress may influence key cardiovascular parameters including blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure (PP). We investigated the effects of mild hypobaric hypoxia exposure on BP and PP reactivity to mental and physical stress and to passive elevation by cable car.Methods36 healthy volunteers participated in a defined test procedure consisting of a period of rest 1, mental stress task (KLT-R), period of rest 2, combined mental (KLT-R) and physical task (bicycle ergometry) and a last period of rest both at Graz, Austria (353 m asl) and at the top station Dachstein (2700 m asl). Beat-to-beat heart rate and BP were analysed both during the test procedures at Graz and at Dachstein and during passive 1000 m elevation by cable car (from 1702 m to 2700 m).ResultsA significant interaction of kind of stress (mental vs. combined mental and physical) and study location (Graz vs. Dachstein) was found in the systolic BP (p = .007) and PP (p = .002) changes indicating that during the combined mental and physical stress task sBP was significantly higher under hypoxic conditions whereas sBP and PP were similar during mental stress both under normobaric normoxia (Graz) and under hypobaric hypoxia (Dachstein). During the passive ascent in cable car less trivialization (psychological coping strategy) was associated with an increase in PP (p = .004).ConclusionOur data show that combined mental and physical stress causes a significant higher raise in sBP and PP under hypoxic conditions whereas isolated mental stress did not affect sBP and PP under hypoxic conditions. PP-reaction to ascent in healthy subjects is not uniform. BP reactions to ascent that represents an accumulation of physical (mild hypobaric hypoxia) and psychological stressors depend on predetermined psychological traits (stress coping strategies). Thus divergent cardiovascular reactions can be explained by applying the multidimensional aspects of the biopsychosocial concept.

Exaggerated pulmonary vascular response to acute hypoxia in older men

“…) and rapid ascents to high altitude (Trapp et al . ). In all of these settings, recognition of possible age differences in the pulmonary vascular response to hypoxia seems material.…”

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“…25 These tests are known to induce circulatory reactions similar to those that evoked by the classical defense reaction. 26,27 The stressors chosen in this study were more closely mimicking the stressors in real life, such as performance under time pressure with constant surveillance of the number of errors and lack of support from colleagues. In the present study, we found an increase in the above parameters after an episode of acute mental stress when compared to baseline, which were consistent with a number of other similar studies.…”

Effect of sympathetic autonomic stress from the cold pressor test on left ventricular function in young healthy adults

“…Stress activates the sympathetic function of the autonomic nervous system causing an increase in blood pressure (Trapp et al. ), heart rate (Ayada et al. ) and cardiac output (Von Baeyer et al.…”

“…Stress elicits changes in sympathetic-parasympathetic balance (Brotman et al 2007) which might negatively affect the cardiovascular system acutely by precipitating myocardial infarction (Lucinda et al 2015), left ventricular dysfunctions (Barclay and Vega 2005;Ramaraj 2007) and arrhythmias (Ziegelstein 2007). Stress activates the sympathetic function of the autonomic nervous system causing an increase in blood pressure (Trapp et al 2014), heart rate (Ayada et al 2015) and cardiac output (Von Baeyer et al 2005), and release of stress hormones. Indeed, this can lead to a series of heart diseases which include arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.…”