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Individual heart rate variability and perceived fatigue trends for selected subjects A, B and C throughout baseline, overload and tapering. The boxed data points on the trend for Subject A represent the time at which training load was reduced due to fatigue and sluggish performance in the pool. Black dots represent daily logarithm of the root mean square of successive RR intervals multiplied by twenty (lnRMSSD). The solid black line represents the 7-day rolling lnRMSSD average. The horizontal dashed lines represent the smallest worthwhile change (0.5 of the coefficient of variation).12 The vertical gray bars represent perceived fatigue ratings (1 = very tired, 9 = very fresh).
Source publication
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate cardiac-parasympathetic and psychometric responses to competition preparation in collegiate sprint-swimmers. Additionally, we aimed to determine the relationship between average vagal activity and its daily fluctuation during each training phase.
Design: Observational.
Methods: Ten Division-1...
Citations
... Endurance athletes, for instance, typically undergo prolonged training sessions, high training volumes, and extended periods of elevated stress. When their training intensity surpasses a certain threshold, sympathetic nervous system dominance is ensured, resulting in decreased sleep quality and diminished parasympathetic activity [8], which may impede recovery from fatigue [9]. Therefore, approaches that promote parasympathetic dominance following a race or high-intensity training are essential for improving sleep quality and facilitating recovery from fatigue. ...
This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-intensity running on the autonomic nervous system and sleep quality of male long-distance runners and to examine the impact of wearing magnetic garments on these parameters. Fifteen highly trained male collegiate long-distance runners participated in a randomized, double-blind crossover study. Participants completed two 30 km runs (30k-RUN) during a 10-day training camp. After each run, they wore either magnetic (MAG) or non-magnetic control (CTRL) garments. Sleep quality and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed using a wrist-worn device before and after each 30k-RUN. Wearing MAG garments post-30k-RUN resulted in significantly longer deep sleep duration compared to CTRL. HRV analysis revealed that the MAG condition led to a significantly higher root mean square of successive RR interval differences and high-frequency power, indicating enhanced parasympathetic activity. The low-frequency to high-frequency ratio was significantly lower in MAG than in CTRL. Perceived recovery scores were significantly higher in MAG than in CTRL. The findings of this study suggest that wearing magnetic garments following high-intensity endurance running may promote parasympathetic dominance and improve sleep quality in male long-distance runners. These findings indicate that magnetic garments may be a practical method for enhancing recovery in athletes following intense training.
... The measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) is a widespread non-invasive method to monitor the state of physiological (cardiovascular) recovery [8,9]. The HRV measurement is based on the oscillation of the interval between heartbeats (R-R intervals), and can provide a measurement of autonomic nervous system (ANS), mainly on the cardiovascular system [10][11][12]. ...
... The rMSSD decreases during exercise, and when exercise is terminated it can take from minutes to days to return to baseline [13]. Therefore, the rMSSD restoration time-course can provide information about cardiac parasympathetic recovery and consequently global recovery status [8,9]. ...
... In a study performed with endurance athletes, Buchheit et al. [17] reported that only runners who improved the maximal aerobic speed (classified as "responder") after 8 week training program were also able to improve rMSSD reactivation 5 min post-exercise. However, despite such meaningful findings and the possibility of using a non-invasive and time-saving method to assess aerobic fitness/endurance performance, little attention has been given in the literature about HRV from this perspective compared to HRV acting as a global fatigue marker [8,9,18]. Even more sparse are the studies investigating the impact of endurance performance status on post-exercise cardiac parasympathetic reactivation in team sports like water polo. ...
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to compare early cardiac parasympathetic reactivation measured through heart rate variability (HRV) metrics after a high-intensity intermittent effort in water polo players classified as higher (HSEP; n = 10) or lower swimming endurance performance status (LSEP; n = 9).
Methods
Nineteen young male water polo players were classified into HSEP and LSEP according to 400 m crawl swimming test. The HRV (heart rate [HR] and the natural log of the root-mean-square difference of successive normal RR intervals [LnrMSSD]) was assessed at baseline (resting) and immediately after a high-intensity intermittent effort (14×25 m all-out front crawl swim) for 3 min.
Results
The baseline LnrMSSD was not statistically different between the groups (HSEP = 4.0 ± 0.4 a.u. and LSEP = 3.8 ± 0.4 a.u., Effect Size [ES] = 0.6). Further, no significant interaction effect was found for HRV metrics post-exercise. Only moderate ES were found in favor of HSEP for LnrMSSD at 0–30 s (HSEP = 1.5 ± 0.4 a.u. and LSEP = 1.2 ± 0.4 a.u., ES = 0.6) and 30–60 s recovery time (HSEP = 1.5 ± 0.4 and LSEP = 1.2 ± 0.4, ES = 0.7), and moderate-to-large ES in favor of HSEP group for HR recovery from 60 to 90 s (HSEP = 130 ± 10 bpm and LSEP = 137 ± 8 bpm, ES = − 0.8) to 150-180 s (HSEP = 111 ± 8 bpm and LSEP = 117 ± 8 bpm, ES = − 0.6) recovery time.
Conclusion
The present findings showed that there was no significant difference for HRV metrics between HSEP and LSEP at baseline and after exercise. The ES analysis indicates the need of further studies to confirm whether the endurance performance status has any impact on cardiac parasympathetic reactivation of water polo players.
... It has been suggested that this measurement can be used as an appropriate marker for monitoring training, particularly during periods of rest, and can indicate how well an athlete adapts to the stress of training and competition [14]. It is recommended that LnRMSSD is monitored on a daily basis and that the weekly mean value is calculated [15]. ...
... A decrease in vagally mediated HRV (vmHRV) is often reported with detraining [15] or in a state of fatigue [16]. Moreover, vmHRV has been reported to decrease acutely following resistance training [17], intense endurance training [18], combined training [2], sport-specific training [19,20], and competition [21]. In light of this, vmHRV is commonly thought to reflect acute fatigue from training or competing. ...
In modern soccer, fitness and fatigue monitoring tools tend to be focused on noninvasive, time‐efficient and player‐friendly measures. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been suggested as an effective method for monitoring training response and readiness to perform. However, there is still a lack of consensus on HRV monitoring when it comes to soccer. Thus, this scoping review aims to map existing evidence on HRV in professional and semiprofessional soccer settings, and to identify knowledge gaps to inform future research directions. A search of databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar) according to the PRISMA‐ScR statement was employed. Studies were screened for eligibility on inclusion criteria: (1) HRV was among the topics discussed in the article; (2) adult professional or semiprofessional soccer players were involved in the study; (3) both male and female participants; (4) no geographical area exclusion; (5) articles published in English; and (6) article full text available. The search of the selected databases revealed 8456 records. The titles and abstracts of all articles were retrieved for screening of eligibility, leaving 30 articles for further consideration. Following screening against set criteria, a total of 25 studies were included in this review, the sample size of which ranged from 6 to 124 participants. The participants in the included studies were professional and semiprofessional soccer players, interviewed clubs staff, and practitioners. Along with other monitoring strategies, morning vagally mediated HRV analysis via (ultra)short‐term orthostatic measurements may be an efficient way to assess training adaptations and readiness to perform in professional and semiprofessional soccer players. Further research is required to make definitive recommendations.
... Singular, absolute values of HRV (e.g., for RMSSD) provide only limited information; this also applies to the comparison with reference values, which is primarily recommended for specific and homogeneous populations (e.g., diseases, age groups; see 1,46,56,58,70). Comparing a regular intra-individual baseline may help to interpret daily variations in HRV and a rolling aver-age of mean values is favourable for monitoring processes (e.g., 7-day moving average of at least 3 to 5 measurements a week; 13,22,49,50), also in relation to a normal range reference (like 12-channel-ECG and chest strap device (A, from 55), a schematic ECG signal (B) of 11 beats with plotted R-R intervals (in ms, in black) and the respective difference to the next interval (in ms, in red) as raw signal of HRV (mod. from 2), and the resulting R-R interval tachogram (C). ...
English:
Heart rate variability (HRV) operationalizes the successive beat-to-beat fluctuations over a defined period of time, is derived from the time series of successive R-R intervals using various context-dependent metrics, and reflects the complex dynamic modulation of the heart’s chronotropic response to physiological and/or pathological perturbations. HRV metrics are used as markers of human cardiovascular health and risk stratification, or as measures of load quantification, exercise response and performance, respectively. However, a valid use of HRV in the fields of sports medicine and exercise science requires careful consideration of the specific measurement principle of the recording device, standardized assessment, preprocessing, analysis, and context-sensitive interpretation.
German:
Die Herzfrequenzvariabilität (HRV) operationalisiert die aufeinanderfolgenden Schlag-zu-Schlag-Schwankungen über einen bestimmten Zeitraum, wird aus der Zeitreihe aufeinanderfolgender R-R-Intervalle unter Verwendung verschiedener kontextabhängiger Metriken abgeleitet und spiegelt die komplexe dynamische Modulation der chronotropen Reaktion des Herzens auf physiologische und/oder pathologische Störungen wider. HRV-Metriken werden als Marker für die kardiovaskuläre Gesundheit des Menschen und zur Risikostratifizierung bzw. als Maß für die Quantifizierung von Beanspruchung und Leistungsfähigkeit verwendet. Eine sinnvolle Verwendung der HRV in den Bereichen Sportmedizin und Trainingswissenschaft erfordert jedoch eine sorgfältige Berücksichtigung des spezifischen Messprinzips des Aufzeichnungsgeräts, eine standardisierte Erhebung, Vorverarbeitung, Analyse und kontext-sensitive Interpretation.
... It is assessed by measuring the variation in R-R intervals, where a changes in the duration of R-R intervals indicates altered autonomic activity (3). It has previously been established that HRV measures are associated with health outcomes, adaptability to training regimens, and athletic performance (6)(7)(8)(9), making HRV a good candidate for athlete monitoring. Intense training or psychological stress can suppress vagal indices of HRV, indicating reduced parasympathetic activity (7). ...
... It has previously been established that HRV measures are associated with health outcomes, adaptability to training regimens, and athletic performance (6)(7)(8)(9), making HRV a good candidate for athlete monitoring. Intense training or psychological stress can suppress vagal indices of HRV, indicating reduced parasympathetic activity (7). Conversely, heightened sympathetic nervous system activity, as measured via HRV, has been linked to fatigue and overtraining (7,8,10). ...
... Intense training or psychological stress can suppress vagal indices of HRV, indicating reduced parasympathetic activity (7). Conversely, heightened sympathetic nervous system activity, as measured via HRV, has been linked to fatigue and overtraining (7,8,10). For athletes and coaches, it is important to understand and monitor the physiological and psychological stress associated with training, traveling, and competing, to optimize training and performance, but for some sports, such elite female rowers, there is a paucity of data. ...
Elite athletes require a delicate balance of physiological and psychological stress and recovery—essential for achieving optimal performance. Monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) provides a non-invasive estimation of both physiological and psychological stress levels, offering potentially valuable insights into health, performance, and adaptability. Previous studies, primarily conducted on male participants, have shown an association between HRV and performance in the context of rowing training. However, given the rigorous nature of rowing training, it is crucial to investigate HRV in elite rowers, particularly during the U.S. national selection regattas (NSR).
Purpose
To comprehensively analyze elite female rowers, evaluating acute changes in HRV and subjective psychometrics during the NSR.
Methods
Five elite female rowers (26 ± 2 years, 180 ± 8 cm, 82 ± 8 kg, 19 ± 6%fat) were recruited and tracked prior to and during NSR I and II. Morning HRV measures were completed using photoplethysmography (HRV4training) along with self-reported levels of fatigue, soreness, rating of perceived exertion, mentally energy and physical condition.
Results
Significant decreases were observed in log transformed root-mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD; p = 0.0014) and fatigue ( p = 0.01) from pre-to-during NSR, while mental energy ( p = 0.01), physical condition ( p = 0.01), and motivation ( p = 0.006) significantly increased. These psychometric measures returned to pre-NSR levels, at post-NSR (all p < 0.05), though HRV remained slightly suppressed. NSR on-water performance was not correlated to LnRMSSD or the change in LnRMSSD ( p > 0.05).
Discussion
HRV and psychometric measures are sensitive to the stress of elite rowing competition in females. However, HRV was not associated with on-water rowing performance during an elite rowing competition.
... Nine articles measured perceived fatigue and wellness, using a variety of scales. One commonly used and/or adapted scale is an eight-item questionnaire developed from recommendations by Hooper and Mackinnon [81] measuring perceptions of training, sleep, leg pain, infection, concentration, efficacy, anxiety, irritability and general stress [48,60,61]. With this measure, a cumulative total score of fatigue is also calculated. ...
... Most (78%) articles show perceived fatigue and wellness improve after taper [42,61]. However, two articles (22%) reported unchanged perceived fatigue and wellness scores following taper. ...
... Eight themes were developed to summarise psychological research examining taper: Mood, Perception of Effort, Perceived Fatigue and Wellness, Recovery-Stress Balance, Taper as a Stressor, Stress Tolerance, Psychological Preparation and Cognitive Functioning. Research across these themes suggests taper is associated with improvements in mood, perception of effort, perceived fatigue and wellness, recovery-stress, symptoms of stress and cognitive functioning [9,46,49,53,61]. However, findings also suggest contextual and individual differences are important in influencing psychological outcomes during taper. ...
Taper is a common training strategy used to reduce fatigue and enhance athletic performance. However, currently, no review has summarised what psychological research has been conducted examining taper, what this research shows and what future research needs to be undertaken to extend the field. Consequently, a scoping review was conducted with three aims: (a) to determine the characteristics of psychological research examining taper, (b) to summarise psychological research collected during taper with adult athletes and coaches, and (c) to identify gaps in psychological research examining taper. Forty-eight articles were identified following an exhaustive search strategy and charted following scoping review guidelines. Results showed most research was quantitative, used a longitudinal design, was conducted in swimming, triathlon, cycling or across multiple sports, and used a university-, regional- or national-level male athlete sample. Eight themes were developed to summarise the research: Mood, Perception of Effort, Perceived Fatigue and Wellness, Recovery-Stress, Taper as a Stressor, Stress Tolerance, Psychological Preparation and Cognitive Functioning. Additionally, four research recommendations were identified: (a) conducting exploratory research that examines the impact taper has on athletes’ and coaches’ competition preparation and stress experience, (b) asking more advanced psychological questions and conducting multi-disciplinary research, (c) including a more diverse participant sample in studies and (d) examining the impact of psychological interventions during taper. Overall, this scoping review has highlighted the limited research examining the psychology of taper and the need for focused research that asks more complex questions across diverse populations.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40279-022-01798-6.
... In relation with the effects of swimming training in HRV, a decrease in HRV during intensive training is correlated with the loss in performance, while a rebound in HRV during tapering tracks with the gain in performance [18]. In addition, weeks of high training loads is associated with a reduction and greater daily fluctuation in vagal activity, 2 +Model SCISPO-3720; No. of Pages 8 Science & Sports xxx (xxxx) xxx-xxx concurrent with decrements in perceived fatigue and muscle soreness [19]. In this sense, reduce daily fluctuation in HRV index could be necessary to a better training adaptation in athletes, hence it is so important monitoring and control of training in swimmers [20] through HRV. ...
... Atlaoui and Pichot [28] showed that an elevated initial HF level could be important during a tapering period, with a subsequent improvement in swimming performance, tendency similar to our study, where high non-significant HF levels were found in the competition block. In contrast, 2 weeks of overload was associated with a reduction and greater daily fluctuation in vagal activity, concurrent with decrements in perceived fatigue and muscle soreness [19] in collegiate swimmers. These authors found a reverse effect during the tapering period, meaning a peak in performance during the competition period was achieved. ...
The aim
of this study was to determine the effects of different training periods and tapering during a macrocycle on heart rate variability (HRV), overtraining states and performance in young elite swimmers.
Method
Fifteen swimmers (6 men, 9 women) completed an 8-week training period divided into a basic, specific, competitive and transition blocks. HRV measures were recorded 3 days per week before the morning training session in supine position for 5 minutes. Overtraining state was recorded through the questionnaire of early clinical symptoms of the overtraining syndrome (QSFMS), which one considers different contributions to fatigue linked to physical exercising. The overtraining state was registered when the score exceeded 20 negative items out of 54. Training intensity distribution in five zones and training volume were quantified.
The results
show that, in these elite young swimmers, no changes in HRV were found during the 8-week training period with an average performance improvement (∼3%) in the competition block. In addition, there was no relationship between the QSFMS score and HRV.
To conclude
it appears that HRV indices within normal baseline levels could help to develop a well-managed and periodized training program that allows improves the performance in young elite swimmers.
... high frequency (HF) power, root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD)) with regard to functional overreaching [11], autonomic recovery status [1,12] or training status and "readiness to perform" [13] when applied during rest or post exercise conditions [1,11,12] allowing one to select an appropriate training effort based on a proxy of the regulation balance associated with the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, studies recommend the parallel use of specific physiological markers with daily training logs and/ or psychometric short scales to take full advantage of such an approach [1,14,15]. Although seemingly simple at the surface, studies report large day-to-day variations in isolated resting HRV measures (most studied time-domain metric: RMSSD) due to multiple influencing factors like environmental conditions [16], exercise induced changes in blood plasma volume [17] or the presence of residual (acute) fatigue from previous training sessions [18]. ...
Background
The non-linear index alpha 1 of Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA a1) of heart rate variability, has been shown to be a marker of fatigue during endurance exercise. This report aims to explore its ability to assess the physiological status as a surrogate metric for “readiness to train” while performing simulated warm-up sessions the day after two different exercise sessions.
Methods
11 triathletes were recruited to determine the first ventilatory threshold (VT1) during a baseline assessment and to perform 10-min of cycling at 90% of VT1 (simulating a warm-up bout) before (PRE) and within 36 h after (POST) light and heavy running exercise. RR intervals were recorded for DFA a1 analysis along with neuromuscular testing to verify the effects of the performed exercise sessions. In addition to common statistical methods, magnitude-based inferences (MBI) were applied to assess the changes in true score and thus also the practical relevance of the magnitude.
Results
Rating of perceived exertion for the heavy exercise session showed a significant higher rating as opposed to the light exercise session ( p < 0.001, d = 0.89). In regard of MBIs, PRE versus POST comparisons revealed a significant reduced DFA a1 with large effect size after the heavy exercise session ( p = 0.001, d = − 1.44) and a 99% chance that this negative change was clinically relevant.
Conclusions
Despite inter-individual differences, DFA a1 offers potential to assess physiological status and guide athletes in their training as an easy-to-apply monitoring procedure during a standardized warm-up. A regular assessment including individual data history and statistical references for identification of response is recommended. Further data are necessary to confirm the results in a larger and more homogeneous population.
... However, despite its common implementation in the field, the usefulness of HRV indices is still a matter of debate. While the majority of studies have shown that these measures are sensitive to fitness improvements, fatigue, overload, or detraining [28][29][30][31][32], others have not [5]. ...
Athletes, coaches, and supporting staff should assume a scientific approach to
both designing and monitoring training programs. Proper load monitoring is essential
to determine whether an athlete is adapting to a training program and to minimize
the risk of increasing non-functional overreaching, illness, or injury. To gain an
understanding of training and competition demands and their effects on the athlete,
various potential physiological variables are available. Nonetheless, very few of them
have robust scientific evidence to support their use. Therefore, this chapter will
discuss the use of non-invasive and time-efficient methods to record and/or calculate
heart rate variability (HRV) in athletes. HRV variables can provide detailed information
about positive and negative adaptions over short and long periods throughout the
competitive season. The accumulated knowledge regarding the importance of HRV
has led both monitoring variables to become popular strategies among elite athletes,
coaches, and supporting staff.
