Resting heart rate variability in professors: Impact of psychological stress, obesity and blood pressure

Abstract

Objective: University professors are prone to show physical and psychological diseases related to excessive workload . Such overwork can affect the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, leading to a decrease in heart rate variability (HRV). HRV reflects the continuous fluctuation of the R-R intervals due to sympathetic and parasympathetic actions in the heart and is associated with good physical and psychological health. We aimed to evaluate whether psychological stress and anthropometric and clinical variables influence HRV at rest in professors. Methods: University professors of both sexes (N=65; 41 men) participated. We collected Anthropometry and Clinical variables, Psychological stress, and HRV parasympathetic parameters (square root mean squares of the differences between RR intervals: RMSSD, number of successive differences between RR intervals, which are > 50 ms: NN50 and high frequency -HF). Results: Four principal components (PCs) represented 68.29% of the data total variation. Principal component 1 (PC1) was called the good cardiac regulation component. PC2 was called the component of reduced stress symptoms. PC3 was named favorable working conditions component. PC4 was denominated component of labor and physiological deregulation. Each HRV parameter was associated with each PC through the use of regression models. The RMSSD was positively associated with PC2. The NN50 was positively associated with PC2 and PC3. HF was positively associated with PC3 and PC4. Conclusions: HRV parasympathetic parameters, which represent good physical and mental health, are positively associated with the components of reduced stress symptoms, favorable working conditions, and labor and physiological deregulation.