Why the study?
Does PTSD diagnosis reduce high-frequency heart rate variability during sleep in US veterans?
Population
62 post-9/11 US military veterans and service members (29 with PTSD, 33 without PTSD)
Comparison
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis vs No PTSD diagnosis
Design
Cross-sectional
Key result
US veterans and service members with PTSD had significantly lower high-frequency heart rate variability during overall NREM sleep compared to those without PTSD (p = .04).
Authors
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PTSD linked to blunted parasympathetic tone during NREM sleep in veterans; hypothesis-generating for autonomic CVD pathways, needs prospective confirmation.
Observational (n=62)
Does PTSD diagnosis reduce high-frequency heart rate variability during sleep in US veterans?
p-value: p=.04
PTSD is associated with blunted parasympathetic modulation during NREM sleep in young veterans, potentially contributing to increased cardiovascular disease risk.
Ulmer et al. (2018) conducted an observational in Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n=62). PTSD diagnosis vs. Without PTSD was evaluated on High-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) during overall NREM sleep (p=.04). US veterans and service members with PTSD had significantly lower high-frequency heart rate variability during overall NREM sleep compared to those without PTSD (p = .04).