Resting heart rate variability in professors: Impact of psychological stress, obesity and blood pressure

Objective:  University professors are prone to show physical and psychological diseases related to excessive workload. Such overwork can affect the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, leading to a decrease in heart rate variability (HRV). HRV reflects the continuous fluctuation of the R-R intervals due to sympathetic and parasympathetic actions in the heart and is associated with good physical and psychological health. We aimed to evaluate whether psychological stress and anthropometric and clinical variables influence HRV at rest in professors. Methods:  University professors of both sexes (N=65; 41 men) participated. We collected Anthropometry and Clinical variables, Psychological stress, and HRV parasympathetic parameters (square root mean squares of the differences between RR intervals: RMSSD, number of successive differences between RR intervals, which are > 50 ms: NN50 and high frequency – HF). Results:   Four principal components (PCs) represented 68.29% of the data total variation. Principal component 1 (PC1) was called the good cardiac regulation component. PC2 was called the component of reduced stress symptoms. PC3 was named favorable working conditions component. PC4 was denominated component of labor and physiological deregulation. Each HRV parameter was associated with each PC through the use of regression models. The RMSSD was positively associated with PC2. The NN50 was positively associated with PC2 and PC3. HF was positively associated with PC3 and PC4. Conclusions:  HRV parasympathetic parameters, which represent good physical and mental health, are positively associated with the components of reduced stress symptoms, favorable working conditions, and labor and physiological deregulation. Objetivo: Professores universitarios sao propensos a apresentar doencas fisicas e psicologicas relacionadas a carga horaria excessiva. Esse excesso de trabalho pode afetar o funcionamento do sistema nervoso autonomo, levando a uma diminuicao da variabilidade da frequencia cardiaca (VFC). A VFC reflete a flutuacao continua dos intervalos RR devido as acoes simpaticas e parassimpaticas no coracao e esta associada a uma boa saude fisica e psicologica. Objetivamos avaliar se o estresse psicologico e as variaveis antropometricas e clinicas influenciam a VFC em repouso em professores. Metodos: Participaram professores universitarios de ambos os sexos (N = 65; 41 homens). Coletamos variaveis antropometricas e clinicas, estresse psicologico e parâmetros parassimpaticos da VFC (raiz quadrada da media dos quadrados das diferencas entre os intervalos RR: RMSSD, numero de diferencas sucessivas entre os intervalos RR, que sao> 50 ms: NN50 e alta frequencia - HF). Resultados:  Quatro componentes principais (PCs) representaram 68,29% da variacao total dos dados. O componente principal 1 (PC1) foi denominado componente de boa regulacao cardiaca. PC2 foi chamado de componente de reducao dos sintomas de estresse. O PC3 foi denominado componente de condicoes favoraveis de trabalho. PC4 foi denominado componente do parto e desregulamentacao fisiologica. Cada parâmetro de VFC foi associado a cada PC por meio do uso de modelos de regressao. O RMSSD foi positivamente associado ao PC2. O NN50 foi associado positivamente com PC2 e PC3. HF associou-se positivamente com PC3 e PC4. Conclusoes: Os parâmetros parassimpaticos da VFC, que representam boa saude fisica e mental, estao positivamente associados aos componentes de reducao dos sintomas de estresse, condicoes favoraveis de trabalho e desregulamentacao fisiologica e laboral.