Key result
Ultra-short 1- and 2-minute HRV recordings fail 5-minute standards, whereas 4-minute recordings achieve acceptable agreement.
Why the study?
The validity of ultra-short-term heart rate variability analysis remains debated, as previous studies have not established criteria for acceptable agreement or considered the role of signal stationarity.
Does ultra-short-term HRV recording (≤4 min) provide acceptable agreement with standard 5-minute recordings in elite ski mountaineers?
Observational (n=8)
No
Does ultra-short-term HRV recording (≤4 min) provide acceptable agreement with standard 5-minute recordings in elite ski mountaineers?
Ultra-short-term HRV recordings (≤3 min) may lack signal stationarity and fail to agree with standard 5-minute recordings, highlighting the need to verify stationarity before adopting shortened protocols in athletes.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Ultra-short HRV recordings should not yet replace 5-min standards in athletes; leaves open stationarity verification in larger cohorts.
Study aim: The validity of ultra-short-term (≤1 min) heart rate variability (HRV) analysis in sports science remains debated. Previous studies have not established criteria for acceptable agreement or considered the role of signal stationarity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between HRV calculated based on RR intervals (RRi) from 5-minute (criterion) and shorter durations in elite athletes, with emphasis on the impact of signal stationarity. Material and methods: Eight ski mountaineers underwent ECG recordings in a supine position. Criterion recordings were segmented into the first: 4-min, 3-min, 2-min, and 1-min intervals. HRV parameters (HR, RMSSD, RMSSD/mRR, lnRMSSD) were analyzed. Signal stationarity was assessed using the augmented Dickey-Fuller test. Agreement was evaluated using Bland-Altman analysis with the smallest worthwhile change defining acceptable differences and intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: HR and natural logarithm of RMSSD (lnRMSSD) calculated from 4-min recordings showed clinically acceptable agreement with criterion. Three athletes exhibited non-stationary RRi in 1-min and 2-min recordings. These non-stationary recordings demonstrated higher bias in HRV parameters compared to stationary recordings. Heart rate microstructure (acceleration/deceleration patterns) remained unchanged across different recordings. Signal non-stationarity in shorter recordings may affect agreement between HRV parameters in athletes. Conclusions: Ultra-short recordings (1-min) may not be reliable for all athletes or all HRV parameters. Individual variation in signal stationarity appears to be an important consideration. Practitioners should verify signal stationarity and define acceptable difference thresholds before adopting shortened recording protocols for HRV analysis.
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Gąsior et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Healthy elite athletes (ski mountaineers) (n=8). Ultra-short-term (≤4 min) HRV recordings vs. 5-minute HRV recordings was evaluated on Agreement of HRV parameters (HR, RMSSD, RMSSD/mRR, lnRMSSD) between 5-minute and shorter recordings using Bland-Altman analysis. Ultra-short 1-minute and 2-minute HRV recordings failed to show clinically acceptable agreement with the 5-minute criterion due to signal non-stationarity, whereas 4-minute recordings demonstrated acceptable agreement for HR and lnRMSSD.
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