Why the study?
Common HRV metrics like RMSSD preferentially weight higher-frequency Fourier modes, making them unsuitable for mindful breathing meditation that encourages slow breathing.
Does mindful breathing meditation improve the autonomic balance index compared to rest?
Does mindful breathing meditation improve the autonomic balance index compared to rest?
The proposed autonomic balance index (ABI) effectively quantifies parasympathetic nervous system contribution during mindful breathing meditation, outperforming RMSSD which is confounded by respiratory rate.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Caution against RMSSD for mindful breathing HRV; leaves open Fourier-optimized metrics for meditation research.
We discuss Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measured during mindful breathing meditation. We provide a pedagogical computation of two commonly used heart rate variability metrics, i.e. the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and the standard deviation of RR intervals (SDRR), in terms of Fourier components. It is shown that the root mean square of successive differences preferentially weights higher frequency Fourier modes, making it unsuitable as a biosignal for mindful breathing meditation which encourages slow breathing. We propose a new metric called the autonomic balance index (ABI) which uses Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia to quantify the fraction of heart rate variability contributed by the parasympathetic nervous system. We apply this metric to heart rate variability data collected during two different meditation techniques, and show that the autonomic balance index is significantly elevated during mindful breathing, making it a good signal for biofeedback during meditation sessions.
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Aravind Natarajan (2023) studied this question.
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