Physical activity, body mass index and heart rate variability-based stress and recovery in 16 275 Finnish employees : a cross-sectional study
Föhr, T., Pietilä, J., Helander, E., Myllymäki, T., Lindholm, H., Rusko, H., & Kujala, U. (2016). Physical activity, body mass index and heart rate variability-based stress and recovery in 16 275 Finnish employees : a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 16, Article 701. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3391-4
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BMC Public HealthAuthors
Date
2016Discipline
PsykologiaValmennus- ja testausoppiLiikuntalääketiedePsychologyScience of Sport Coaching and Fitness TestingSports and Exercise MedicineCopyright
© 2016 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Background: Physical inactivity, overweight, and work-related stress are major concerns today. Psychological stress
causes physiological responses such as reduced heart rate variability (HRV), owing to attenuated parasympathetic
and/or increased sympathetic activity in cardiac autonomic control. This study’s purpose was to investigate the
relationships between physical activity (PA), body mass index (BMI), and HRV-based stress and recovery on workdays,
among Finnish employees.
Methods: The participants in this cross-sectional study were 16 275 individuals (6863 men and 9412 women; age
18–65 years; BMI 18.5–40.0 kg/m2
). Assessments of stress, recovery and PA were based on HRV data from beat-to-beat
R-R interval recording (mainly over 3 days). The validated HRV-derived variables took into account the dynamics and
individuality of HRV. Stress percentage (the proportion of stress reactions, workday and working hours), and stress
balance (ratio between recovery and stress reactions, sleep) describe the amount of physiological stress and recovery,
respectively. Variables describing the intensity (i.e. magnitude of recognized reactions) of physiological stress and
recovery were stress index (workday) and recovery index (sleep), respectively. Moderate to vigorous PA was measured
and participants divided into the following groups, based on calculated weekly PA: inactive (0 min), low (0 < 150 min),
medium (150–300 min), and high (>300 min). BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height. Linear models
were employed in the main analyses.
Results: High PA was associated with lower stress percentages (during workdays and working hours) and stress
balance. Higher BMI was associated with higher stress index, and lower stress balance and recovery index. These
results were similar for men and women (P < 0.001 for all).
Conclusion: Independent of age and sex, high PA was associated with a lower amount of stress on workdays.
Additionally, lower BMI was associated with better recovery during sleep, expressed by a greater amount and
magnitude of recovery reactions, which suggests that PA in the long term resulting in improved fitness has a
positive effect on recovery, even though high PA may disturb recovery during the following night. Obviously,
several factors outside of the study could also affect HRV-based stress.
...
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © 2016 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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