Background and Objectives: Changes in autonomic cardiac activity during night sleep are well documented. However, there is limited information regarding changes in the autonomic cardiac profile during daytime naps. Heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) are reliable measures of autonomic cardiac activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in HRV and BRS during daytime naps in healthy men. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 25 healthy men. Polysomnographic recording with electrocardiogram monitoring was conducted for all volunteers during a 50-80 min nap between 3.30 pm and 5.30 pm. Five-minute segments during pre-nap wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages (N1, N2, and N3), rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage, and post-nap wakefulness were used to measure changes in the variation in HRV parameters, including inter-beat interval (RR-interval), total spectral power (TP), highfrequency power (HF), low-frequency power (LF), and low frequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF). BRS was also measured for 10 min during pre-and post-nap wakefulness using finger arterial pressure measurement (Finometer Pro ®). Results: HRV increased significantly during NREM sleep compared with that during prenap wakefulness (p < 0.05), as reflected by RR-interval prolongation, higher HF, and increased HF nu (normalized units). Furthermore, there was a parallel reduction in TP, LF, and LF/HF ratio during NREM sleep, indicating parasympathetic predominance over cardiac autonomic activity. HF and HF nu were significantly reduced during REM sleep compared with that during NREM sleep (p < 0.05). BRS did not show significant differences between pre-and post-nap wakefulness. Conclusion: We observed a progressive increase in parasympathetic activity during daytime sleep as NREM sleep deepened compared with that during wakefulness and REM sleep. Daytime nap may have a favorable cardiovascular impact.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.