Heart Rate Variability and Basic Hemodynamic Parameters in Medical Students in Seasons With Different Photoperiod

One of the main external factors that contributes to the seasonal functional reorganization of the organism in the process of adaptation is seasonal photoperiodic variability. Day length is affecting not only visual function, but also all physiological and behavioural processes controlled by the circadian rhythm system. The person's ability to adapt to changes in external factors is especially important for medical students who experience significant mental overload in the process of studying at a university. The study goal was to investigate the features of the main hemodynamic parameters and heart rate variability in medical students in the spring and autumn periods, with taking into account gender differences. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study of 304 students of the North-Ossetian State Medical Academy (Russia) comprising 233 female and 71 male subjects was performed during periods of elongation (spring) and shortening (autumn) of the photoperiod. Blood pressure (BP), pulse rate (HR), parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) were measured. Results: The students showed an increase in DBP and MBP rates within the normal range in autumn. Hemodynamic parameters of SBP, DBP, PBP, MBP in males were significantly higher than in females group, regardless of the season. Interseasonal differences in HRV parameters (LF, THF, PHF, PLF, LF/HF, IC) were revealed. From spring to autumn period, LF decreases from 980.22 (590.30; 1445.83) to 690.68 (438.81; 1170.15) ms2 against the background of a decrease in the dominant period of the high-frequency component of the spectrum (THF) from 5.40 (3 .77; 6.10) to 3.71 (3.08; 5.54) s. The contribution of the high-frequency component (PHF) to the total power of HRV fluctuations increases by 10.4%, and the low-frequency component (PLF) decreases by 6.45% as the photoperiod shortens. The centralization index (IC) also declines from 2.58 (1.42; 3.90) to 1.61 (0.97; 2.98); p=0.0076. Parameters of Mean, Mo, RMSSD, pNN50, SDNN, TP, HF, PHF in spring are lower in males in comparison with females, while parameters of HR, SI, PLF, LF/HF, VLF/HF, IC, PARS are higher in males. Conclusions: It was indicated that the change in the photoperiod trend is an important mediator of heart rate variability in the annual cycle. The lengthening of the photoperiod in the spring season is accompanied by a shift in the vegetative balance of students towards an increase in the tonus of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) together with the involvement of the central circuit of the heart rhythm regulation. In autumn, on the background of shorter daylight duration hours, parasympathetic influences are intensified and autonomic regulation circuit is most active. In the common trend of increased sympathetic activity of the ANS and activation of the central regulatory circuit in the spring, in young males these changes are indicated at greater extent.