School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia.
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia; University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Australia.
Int J Cardiol. 2019 Jan 15;275:101-103. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.08.005. Epub 2018 Aug 3.
With population ageing a significant concern, modifiable factors contributing to healthy ageing must be identified. Autonomic responding reflected by heart rate variability (HRV) has well-established links to general health and wellbeing in younger populations; but has yet to be explored in older individuals.
Forty-five healthy participants (49-82 years old) completed questionnaires about sleep and physical and psychological health. Autonomic activity was measured during rest and whilst completing a computerised battery of cognitive tasks. Participants then wore an ambulatory heart rate monitor overnight, and recorded their sleep and physical activity for one week. HRV parameters reflecting cardiac vagal tone were derived from electrocardiograph recordings.
Age and resting HRV were not related; however a positive association was identified between higher HRV in the 2 h prior to sleep and older age. Higher resting HRV, older age, and better sleep quality significantly predicted psychological wellbeing; and fewer somatic and physical health symptoms and older age predicted better average sleep quality ratings. Older age and poorer general health were significant predictors of cognitive performance deficits.
These findings suggest that an age-related decline in HRV is not inevitable. Longitudinal designs exploring within-individual changes in cardiac vagal tone are required to better understand the factors contributing to healthy ageing.
随着人口老龄化成为一个重大问题，必须确定导致健康老龄化的可改变因素。心率变异性（HRV）反映的自主反应与年轻人群的整体健康和幸福感有明确的联系；但尚未在老年人中进行探索。
45 名健康参与者（49-82 岁）完成了关于睡眠以及身体和心理健康的问卷。在休息和完成计算机化认知任务时，测量自主活动。然后，参与者在夜间佩戴便携式心率监测器，并记录一周的睡眠和身体活动。从心电图记录中得出反映心脏迷走神经张力的 HRV 参数。
年龄与静息 HRV 之间没有关系；然而，在睡眠前 2 小时内 HRV 较高与年龄较大之间存在正相关关系。较高的静息 HRV、年龄较大、睡眠质量较好显著预测心理健康；较少的躯体和身体健康症状以及年龄较大预测更好的平均睡眠质量评分。年龄较大和整体健康状况较差是认知表现缺陷的重要预测因素。
这些发现表明，HRV 的年龄相关性下降并非不可避免。需要进行探索个体内心血管迷走神经张力变化的纵向设计，以更好地了解导致健康老龄化的因素。
