Key result
24-hour HRV circadian rhythms correlate with stress, anxiety, and sleep severity in female medical workers.
Why the study?
Heart rate variability indices are used as stress indicators, but rare studies had investigated associations between their circadian rhythms and stress, mood, and sleep conditions in populations under stress.
Do circadian rhythms of HRV indices correlate with stress, mood, and sleep status in female medical workers?
Cross-Sectional (n=257)
Do circadian rhythms of HRV indices correlate with stress, mood, and sleep status in female medical workers?
Circadian rhythms of HRV indices over 24 hours can predict the severity of stress, emotion, and sleep conditions in female medical workers.
May aid occupational stress screening in female shift workers; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical use.
Purpose: Heart rate variability (HRV) indices have been used as stress indicators. Rare studies investigated the associations of circadian rhythms of the HRV indices with the stress, mood, and sleep conditions in populations under stress. Methods: In total 257 female participants (203 shift workers and 54 non-shift workers) were included. All the participants completed a structured questionnaire to assess the stress, mood, and sleep conditions and performed 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram monitoring on the day away from shifts. Using epochs of 1-min or 5-min beat-to-beat intervals, the HRV indices (SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, LF/HF, and LFnu, SD1, SD2, SD1/SD2) were plotted as a function of time and fitted into cosine periodic curves, respectively. Three mathematical parameters based on the cosine periodic curves were extracted, MESOR (M, overall averages of the cosine curve), amplitude (A, amplitude of the peak of the cosine curve), and acrophase (θ, latency to the peak) to quantify the circadian rhythms of the HRV indices. Multivariable linear regression models were used to reveal the associations of these parameters with the clinical assessments of stress, mood, or sleep conditions, as well as with the 24-h averages of the HRV indices. Results: The parameters M and A of SDNN, RMSSD, LF, and HF, and θ of LF/HF and LFnu significantly differ between shift and non-shift workers. The parameter θ of LF/HF positively correlates with the severity of stress and anxiety. The parameter A of LF/HF and LFnu also positively correlates with daytime sleepiness and sleep fragmentation. In addition, the parameters M and A instead of θ of SDNN, RMSSD, LF, LF/HF, and LFnu significantly correlate with the 24-h averages of HRV indices. Conclusion: The circadian rhythms of the HRV indices over 24 hours can, to some extent, predict the severity of stress, emotion and sleep conditions in female populations under stress.
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Deng et al. (2022) conducted a cross-sectional in Stress, mood, and sleep conditions (n=257). Night shifts (shift work) vs. Non-shift work was evaluated on Associations of circadian rhythms of HRV indices with stress, mood, or sleep conditions. Circadian rhythms of HRV indices over 24 hours significantly correlated with the severity of stress, anxiety, and sleep conditions in female medical workers.
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