<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><italic>Study aim</italic>: This investigation examined the cardiac vagal modulation-to-vagal tone ratio and its utility to represent the dose response to accumulated exercise stress in intermittent team sport.<italic>Material and methods</italic>: Fourteen international calibre female field hockey players training as part of a national team were participants over a three-week period. Exercise stress was expressed through cardiovascular strain using heart rate (HR) dynamics and was quantified as a training load (AU) and time spent exercising above anaerobic threshold (min). Cardiac autonomic activity was examined using heart rate variability; R-R intervals (ms) were collected immediately upon awakening throughout each weekend. The square root of the mean squared differences of successive R–R intervals were individually calculated, and log transformed prior to being averaged (Ln rMSSD) along with the corresponding mean R-R interval length. Multiple linear regression analysis examined the association between cardiac autonomic activity and indices of accumulated exercise stress.<italic>Results</italic>: Significant inverse associations (95% CI) between the Ln rMSSD:R-R ratio and both training load [<italic>r</italic> = –0.48 (–0.70: –0.18), <italic>p</italic> = 0.012] and time spent exercising above anaerobic threshold [<italic>r</italic> = –0.51 (–0.72 : –0.22), <italic>p</italic> = 0.006] were observed. The association between mean R-R interval length and Ln rMSSD was not significant [<italic>r</italic> = 0.05, <italic>p</italic> = 0.950].<italic>Conclusion</italic>: The current study demonstrated high intensity exercise, as defined through time spent above anaerobic threshold, displayed a stronger association with the Ln rMSSD:R-R ratio compared to a HR-derived training load when examining the dose response to accumulated intermittent exercise.</abstract>

Study aim: This investigation examined the cardiac vagal modulation-to-vagal tone ratio and its utility to represent the dose response to accumulated exercise stress in intermittent team sport.Material and methods: Fourteen international calibre female field hockey players training as part of a national team were participants over a three-week period. Exercise stress was expressed through cardiovascular strain using heart rate (HR) dynamics and was quantified as a training load (AU) and time spent exercising above anaerobic threshold (min). Cardiac autonomic activity was examined using heart rate variability; R-R intervals (ms) were collected immediately upon awakening throughout each weekend. The square root of the mean squared differences of successive R–R intervals were individually calculated, and log transformed prior to being averaged (Ln rMSSD) along with the corresponding mean R-R interval length. Multiple linear regression analysis examined the association between cardiac autonomic activity and indices of accumulated exercise stress.Results: Significant inverse associations (95% CI) between the Ln rMSSD:R-R ratio and both training load [r = –0.48 (–0.70: –0.18), p = 0.012] and time spent exercising above anaerobic threshold [r = –0.51 (–0.72 : –0.22), p = 0.006] were observed. The association between mean R-R interval length and Ln rMSSD was not significant [r = 0.05, p = 0.950].Conclusion: The current study demonstrated high intensity exercise, as defined through time spent above anaerobic threshold, displayed a stronger association with the Ln rMSSD:R-R ratio compared to a HR-derived training load when examining the dose response to accumulated intermittent exercise.

Alterations in Cardiac Vagal Modulation-to-Vagal Tone Ratio in response to accumulated exercise stress in intermittent team sport

Faculty of Medicine, Experimental Medicine Program

Biomedical Human Kinetics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Study aim: This investigation examined the cardiac vagal modulation-to-vagal tone ratio and its utility to represent the dose response to accumulated exercise...

Alterations in Cardiac Vagal Modulation-to-Vagal Tone Ratio in response to accumulated exercise stress in intermittent team sport

Published Online: Aug 17, 2020

Page range: 197 - 203

Received: May 28, 2020

Accepted: Jun 18, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bhk-2020-0025

Keywords
Heart rate variability, Cardiovascular physiology, Exercise physiology

© 2020 Andrew S. Perrotta et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Alterations in Cardiac Vagal Modulation-to-Vagal Tone Ratio in response to accumulated exercise stress in intermittent team sport

Published Online: Aug 17, 2020

Page range: 197 - 203

Received: May 28, 2020

Accepted: Jun 18, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bhk-2020-0025

KeywordsHeart rate variability, Cardiovascular physiology, Exercise physiology

© 2020 Andrew S. Perrotta et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Heart rate variability, Cardiovascular physiology, Exercise physiology