1Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, MGM Medical College, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai
2Ex –Professor & Head, Department of Physiology, MGM Medical College, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai
Online published on 21 February, 2015.
To study the effect of exercise on heart rate variability in young medical students and to compare pre and post exercise findings.
This study was done in clinical laboratory of Physiology department. The pulse rate by 3 finger method, arterial Blood pressure by sphygmomanometer and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) with Annuphotorheograph was measured before exercise and after exercise. Harvard step test was used as exercise method. HRV data was analyzed to get HRV graph and FFT (Fast Fourier transform) power spectrum. The results were statistically analyzed by applying paired “t” test.
In our study, the data analysis showed that after exercise, the pulse rate and the systolic blood pressure were significantly increased and the diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased. The HRV and its frequency components in all frequencies were decreased significantly in both groups after exercise.
Our observation of pulse rate, arterial blood pressure and HRV, before and after exercise suggests that autonomic modulation of heart rate during exercise is associated with withdrawal of parasympathetic activity in both males and females.
Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Exercise, Heart Rate Variability, Sympathetic System, Parasympathetic System
