Heart Rate Variability Analysis As A Health Indicator

As society becomes more health conscious and as the search continues for a more balanced lifestyle, this focus has recognized that there are direct links between the health and balance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and cardiovascular mortality. Sudden cardiac deaths have risen and alarmingly in even the most healthy of individuals. Questions have arisen as to whether there is any link between the propensity for lethal arrhythmias and increased sympathetic or reduced vagal activities. As answers are sought, efforts have been made to develop measures or markers of autonomic activity and the balance or imbalance therein. One of these markers is heart rate variability (HRV). This marker measures the variations in heart rate and is calculated by analyzing the beat-to-beat intervals from ECG or arterial pressure tracings. A heart beat occurs when a set of special cells continuously distribute electrical pulsations throughout the heart muscle in specialized pathways.