Key result
Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia was highly stable across sleep and waking states, and higher RSA during slow wave sleep was associated with greater approach behavior and lower impulsivity.
Observational (n=25)
No
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia remains stable between wake and sleep states, with slow wave sleep being an optimal period for measuring its relationship with waking affective style.
RSA stability across sleep/wake states is reliable in healthy young adults; leaves open whether sleep RSA informs affective outcomes beyond small observational samples.
Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is related to individual differences in waking affective style and self-regulation. However, little is known about the stability of RSA between sleep/wake stages or the relations between RSA during sleep and waking affective style. We examined resting RSA in 25 healthy undergraduates during the waking state and one night of sleep. Stability of cardiac variables across sleep/wake states was highly reliable within participants. As predicted, greater approach behavior and lower impulsivity were associated with higher RSA; these relations were evident in early night Non-REM (NREM) sleep, particularly in slow wave sleep (SWS). The current research extends previous findings by establishing stability of RSA within individuals between wake and sleep states, and by identifying SWS as an optimal period of measurement for relations between waking affective style and RSA.
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Stoakley et al. (2017) conducted an observational in Healthy (n=25). Sleep and waking states was evaluated on Stability of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) across sleep and waking states (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient) (95% CI 0.72-0.92, p=<0.001). Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia was highly stable across sleep and waking states, and higher RSA during slow wave sleep was associated with greater approach behavior and lower impulsivity.
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