Effects of High-Intensity Interval Exercise and Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation on Cardiac Autonomic Modulation

ABSTRACT

Sleep deprivation in healthy adults has been associated with disrupted autonomic nervous system function, which in turn has been linked to cardiovascular health. High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) may affect both sleep and cardiac autonomic modulation. Purpose: To investigate the impact of acute partial sleep deprivation on autonomic cardiac regulation before and after an acute bout of HIIE and the length of time for the autonomic system to return to resting levels. Methods: Fifteen healthy males with body mass index (BMI) of 25.8 ± 2.7 kg·m⁻² and age 31 ± 5 y participated in a reference sleep (~9.5 hr) with no HIIE (RS), a reference sleep with HIIE (RSX), and an acute partial sleep deprivation (~3.5 hr) with HIIE (SDX). HIIE was performed in 3:2 intervals at 90% and 40% of VO₂ reserve. Autonomic regulation through HRV selected time and frequency domain indices were recorded the night before, the morning of the next day, 1 hr-, 2 hr-, 4hr-, and 6-hr post-exercise. Results: HIIE performed in a 3:2 W:R ratio decreased the HRV (p < .05) at 1-hr post exercise and it took up to 4 hr to return to baseline levels. Parasympathetic related HRV indices increased the morning of the next day for SDX (p < .05). Acute partial sleep deprivation and HIIE did not modify the HRV responses compared to reference sleep and HIIE. Conclusion: HRV disturbance typically seen in responses to an acute episode of HIIE is not influenced by acute partial sleep deprivation.

KEYWORDS:

• Cardiovascular
• good sleepers
• heart rate variability
• sympathetic/parasympathetic balance

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Peter Grandjean for his mentorship, technical advice, and spirited discussions regarding this project, from its inception until its completion. We also thank our participants for devoting their time, without which the present study could not have been completed.

Authors’ contributions

ZP conceived of the study and design, had full access to all of the data in this study, performed data analysis and data interpretation, and drafted and revised the final manuscript critically for intellectual content; JSF contributed to data collection and drafted the manuscript; MNP contributed to data collection and drafted the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree with the order of presentation of authors.