Heart rate variability related to effort at work

Human factors/ergonomics implications of big data analytics: Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors annual lecture

In recent years, advances in sensor technology, connectedness and computational power have come together to produce huge data-sets. The treatment and analysis of these data-sets is known as big data analytics (BDA), and the somewhat related term data mining. Fields allied to human factors/ergonomics (HFE), e.g. statistics, have developed computational methods to derive meaningful, actionable conclusions from these data bases. This paper examines BDA, often characterised by volume, velocity and variety, giving examples of successful BDA use. This examination provides context by considering examples of using BDA on human data, using BDA in HFE studies, and studies of how people perform BDA. Significant issues for HFE are the reliance of BDA on correlation rather than hypotheses and theory, the ethics of BDA and the use of HFE in data visualisation.

Office workers with high effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment have greater decreases in heart rate variability over a 2-h working period

PURPOSE

High levels of workplace psychosocial factors have been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, possibly through the pathway of increasing autonomic arousal. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the workplace psychosocial factors of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and overcommitment were associated with greater decreases in heart rate variability (HRV) across a 2-h working period in a cohort of office workers performing their own work at their own workplaces.

METHODS

Measurements of HRV in 5-min time epochs across a 2-h morning or afternoon working period, as well as self-reports of ERI and overcommitment, were collected for 91 office workers.

RESULTS

There was a negative and significant (p < 0.01) ERI*time interaction for the standard deviation of the interval between normal heart beats (SDNN), the square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal heart beats (RMSSD), and the power in the high-frequency range of the heart rate signal (HF power), and a positive and significant ERI*time interaction for the ratio of power in the low-frequency range of the heart rate signal divided by the HF power (LF/HF ratio). There was a positive and significant overcommitment*time interaction for the LF/HF ratio (p < 0.01) in the morning, and a negative and significant overcommitment*time interaction for SDNN, RMSSD, and HF power (p < 0.01) in the afternoon.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that participants exposed to high levels of ERI and overcommitment exhibited a more adverse cardiovascular response (a greater decrease in HRV throughout the 2-h measurement period) compared to their colleagues with lower levels of these factors.

A brief review and clinical application of heart rate variability biofeedback in sports, exercise, and rehabilitation medicine

CONTEXT

An important component of the effective management of chronic noncommunicable disease is the assessment and management of psychosocial stress. The measurement and modulation of heart rate variability (HRV) may be valuable in this regard.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the measurement and physiological control of HRV; to describe the impact of psychosocial stress on cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and chronic respiratory disease, and the relationship between these diseases and changes in HRV; and to describe the influence of biofeedback and exercise on HRV and the use of HRV biofeedback in the management of chronic disease.

DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION

The PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases were searched (up to August 2013). Additional articles were obtained from the reference lists of relevant articles and reviews. Articles were individually selected for further review based on the quality and focus of the study, and the population studied.

RESULTS

Heart rate variability is reduced in stress and in many chronic diseases, and may even predict the development and prognosis of some diseases. Heart rate variability can be increased with both exercise and biofeedback. Although the research on the effect of exercise is conflicting, there is evidence that aerobic training may increase HRV and cardiac vagal tone both in healthy individuals and in patients with disease. Heart rate variability biofeedback is also an effective method of increasing HRV and cardiac vagal tone, and has been shown to decrease stress and reduce the morbidity and mortality of disease.

CONCLUSION

The assessment and management of psychosocial stress is a challenging but important component of effective comprehensive lifestyle interventions for the management of noncommunicable disease. It is, therefore, important for the sports and exercise physician to have an understanding of the therapeutic use of HRV modulation, both in the reduction of stress and in the management of chronic disease.

Associations of physical activity, fitness, and body composition with heart rate variability-based indicators of stress and recovery on workdays: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate how physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and body composition are associated with heart rate variability (HRV)-based indicators of stress and recovery on workdays. Additionally, we evaluated the association of objectively measured stress with self-reported burnout symptoms.

METHODS

Participants of this cross-sectional study were 81 healthy males (age range 26-40 y). Stress and recovery on workdays were measured objectively based on HRV recordings. CRF and anthropometry were assessed in laboratory conditions. The level of PA was based on a detailed PA interview (MET index [MET-h/d]) and self-reported activity class.

RESULTS

PA, CRF, and body composition were significantly associated with levels of stress and recovery on workdays. MET index (P < 0.001), activity class (P = 0.001), and CRF (P = 0.019) were negatively associated with stress during working hours whereas body fat percentage (P = 0.005) was positively associated. Overall, 27.5% of the variance of total stress on workdays (P = 0.001) was accounted for by PA, CRF, and body composition. Body fat percentage and body mass index were negatively associated with night-time recovery whereas CRF was positively associated. Objective work stress was associated (P = 0.003) with subjective burnout symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

PA, CRF, and body composition are associated with HRV-based stress and recovery levels, which needs to be taken into account in the measurement, prevention, and treatment of work-related stress. The HRV-based method used to determine work-related stress and recovery was associated with self-reported burnout symptoms, but more research on the clinical importance of the methodology is needed.

The role of physical activity and heart rate variability for the control of work related stress

Physical activity (PA) and exercise are often used as tools to reduce stress and therefore the risk for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Meanwhile, heart rate variability (HRV) has been utilized to assess both stress and PA or exercise influences. The objective of the present review was to examine the current literature in regards to workplace stress, PA/exercise and HRV to encourage further studies. We considered original articles from known databases (PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge) over the last 10 years that examined these important factors. A total of seven studies were identified with workplace stress strongly associated with reduced HRV in workers. Longitudinal workplace PA interventions may provide a means to improve worker stress levels and potentially cardiovascular risk with mechanisms still to be clarified. Future studies are recommended to identify the impact of PA, exercise, and fitness on stress levels and HRV in workers and their subsequent influence on cardiovascular health.

The effect of a single session of short duration biofeedback-induced deep breathing on measures of heart rate variability during laboratory-induced cognitive stress: a pilot study

This study examines the acute effect of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on HRV measures during and immediately after biofeedback and during the following laboratory-induced stress. Eighteen healthy males exposed to work-related stress were randomised into an HRV biofeedback group (BIO) or a comparative group (COM). Subjects completed a modified Stroop task before (Stroop 1) and after (Stroop 2) the intervention. Both groups had similar physiological responses to stress in Stroop 1. In Stroop 2, the COM group responded similarly to the way they did to Stroop 1: respiratory frequency (RF) and heart rate (HR) increased, RMSSD and high frequency (HF) power decreased or had a tendency to decrease, while low frequency (LF) power showed no change. The BIO group responded differently in Stroop 2: while RF increased and LF power decreased, HR, RMSSD and HF power showed no change. In the BIO group, RMSSD was higher in Stroop 2 compared to Stroop 1. In conclusion, HRV biofeedback induced a short term carry-over effect during both the following rest period and laboratory-induced stress suggesting maintained HF vagal modulation in the BIO group after the intervention, and maintained LF vagal modulation in the COM group.

Autonomic nervous system activity and workplace stressors--a systematic review

AIM

This systematic review evaluates and summarizes the evidence of the association between psychosocial work environment as indicated by several work-stress models such as Job-Demand-Control (JDC), Effort-Reward-Imbalance (ERI), or Organizational Justice (OJ) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV).

METHOD

We conducted a systematic literature search following the PRISMA-Statement in eleven databases including Medline, Web of Science and PsycINFO to address medical as well as psychological aspects of the relation between psychosocial work-stress models and HRV.

RESULTS

We identified 19 publications with a total of 8382 employees from ten countries reporting data from the years 1976-2008. Overall, nine of all studies report a negative and significant association between vagally-mediated HRV and measures of stress at work, while eight of all studies report a negative and significant association to mixed sympathetic and parasympathetic measures of HRV.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review provides evidence that adverse psychosocial work conditions are negatively associated with ANS function as indexed by HRV.