Advanced search


Search results        Search results      Copy URL to E-Mail

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Physiologic Parameters as Measures of Stress in Medical Students
Guccione, A. J. [1]
Nahmias, A. [1]
Morgan, D. P. [1]
Chin, C. Y. [1]
Di Caro, F. J. [1]
Cirrone, M. D. [1]
Chadha, J. [1]
Bressler, K. [2]
Chan, T. [5]
Donoghue, J. [11]
DiRusso, S. [1]

Journal: Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Date: 2024/12, 124(12):Pages: A94-A96. doi: Subito , type of study: observational study

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jom-2024-2000/html)

Keywords:

heart rate variability [64]
medical students [659]
observational study [228]
osteopathic medicine [2055]
stress [111]
USA [1707]

Abstract:

Context: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measurement of the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats or the duration of the R-R interval. Considered to be a reflection of changes in cardiac autonomic regulation, HRV can serve as an indicator of an individual’s ability to respond to different stressors [1]. Increases seen from an established baseline HRV may correspond to more effective stress management, whereas decreases may suggest the presence of anxiety, depression, or signs of poor lifestyle habits [2]. Previous studies have investigated HRV as a tool utilized by trainers of elite athletes to optimize performance and recovery; however, its role in other populations that experience extreme amounts of physical and mental stress, including medical students, is not well understood [3-5]. Objective: The objective of this study is to identify trends in physiological and psychological stress prior to, during, and after examination periods through monitoring health metrics of medical students. Methods: Driven by osteopathic tenets, this non-randomized prospective study investigated patterns of physiologic responses to stress in medical students, underscoring the holistic perspective that the person is a unit of body, mind, and spirit. Sixteen first and second year osteopathic medical students, 8 of which were male and 8 of which were female, were enrolled and studied for a period of six weeks. Possession of an Apple Watch was required for participation in the study and students currently taking cardiac medications that may influence heart rate were excluded. Measurements of heart rate, sleep, total steps, exercise minutes, resting energy, and active energy were obtained from stored health metrics tracked by the Apple Watch, which has been shown to be a reliable tool for recording this data [6,7]. Each participant’s data was shared with one investigator via the Apple Health App. Participants were instructed to calculate and self-report their daily HRV value using the “Mindfulness” App on Apple Watch each morning after waking. They were also sent a daily survey logging the following via a likert scale: sleep quality, mood, food intake, stress levels and muscle soreness. The data was broken down into weeks in relation to their exam week. Week 1 and 2 were pre-test weeks, week 3 was exam week, week 4 was spring break, and weeks 5 and 6 were post-test weeks and the start of new material. Data was analyzed using SPSS v28 with p<0.05 indicating significance. Results: Of the 16 participants recruited, there were 11 included in the analysis. Five participants were excluded due to non-compliance. Individual trend analysis revealed that 81.8% of the participants had a increase in HRV during exam week compared to spring break, implying an increased ability to handle stress during the exam week. The relationship between HRV and the other variables were examined through Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. There was a significant (p<0.05) positive correlation between increased HRV, higher maximum HR (0.270), higher resting energy (0.276), higher active energy (0.507), more steps (0.334), increased exercise minutes (0.521) and a healthier diet yesterday (0.352). There was a significant (p<0.05) negative correlation between a lower HRV and increased muscle soreness (-0.593). Conclusion: Results indicate that there are several variables correlated with heart rate variability. Having an increased energy expenditure, increased daily step count, increased exercise minutes, and a more nutritious diet are all reported to be correlated with a higher HRV. These factors seem to improve HRV, which correlates with better management of stress during the exam cycle. However, the increased muscle soreness that was seen was correlated with a lower HRV, suggesting the body less capable of handling the stress or needing more recovery time [8]. In conclusion, by increasing exercise and eating a well balanced diet in the weeks leading up to exams, medical students can more effectively manage their stress reflected by an increase in their HRV. This would allow them to better handle the stress that is associated with medical school.

Search results      Copy URL to E-Mail

 
 
 






  • Impressum • Legal notice • Datenschutz •


ostlib.de/data_mapdyvweutgfrqskjxnb



Supported by

OSTLIB recommends