Protective effect of metoprolol on arrhythmia and heart rate variability in healthy people with 24 hours of sleep deprivation.

PURPOSE

Sleep deprivation, which is a strong stressor, can greatly affect the cardiovascular system of rescue workers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of 24-h sleep deprivation on heart rate variability (HRV) in young healthy people and the protective effect of metoprolol on arrhythmia.

METHODS

Sixty young, healthy subjects (6 women and 54 men), aged 25 ± 4.5 years, were enrolled in this study. All participants received 24-h continuous ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring. Arrhythmia, time, and frequency domain parameters were analyzed in subjects at the following three stages: normal sleep stage, sleep deprivation stage, and metoprolol treatment before sleep deprivation stage.

RESULTS

After 24-h sleep deprivation, the high frequency (HF) of HRV was significantly decreased (p < 0.05), low frequency (LF) was remarkably increased (p < 0.05), and LF/HF was significantly increased compared with those in normal sleep (p < 0.05). Some subjects presented with mild palpitation due to premature atrial complexes and premature ventricular complexes. At the metoprolol treatment stage, compared with the sleep deprivation stage, LF and LF/HF were significantly reduced, HF of HRV was elevated (p < 0.05), and the total amount of premature atrial and ventricular complexes was decreased.

CONCLUSION

The underlying mechanism of arrhythmia and HRV alteration after 24-h sleep deprivation could be attributable to lower vagal activity and elevated sympathetic activity. Metoprolol improves the change in autonomic nervous system activity after 24-h sleep deprivation, which may be responsible for its protective role on arrhythmia in healthy subjects undergoing sleep deprivation.