Vagal Flexibility during Exercise: Impact of Training, Stress, Anthropometric Measures, and Gender
Table 1
Descriptive variables and differences between men and women.
Variable
Men ()
Women ()
value
(P25/P75)
(P25–P75)
Level of physical training variables
Exercise frequency (days)
2
0/3.5
2
0/3
0.28
Workout duration (minutes per workout)
60
0/90
45
0/50
0.09
Exercise time (years)
0.66
0/4.5
0.50
0/2
0.59
Resting HR (bpm)
71.76
±10.88
76.11
±9.14
0.13
Maximum HR (bpm)
137.42
±15.66
154.68
±13.84
0.0001
Recovery HR—1 minute (bpm)
91.21
±16.92
110.22
±21.92
0.001
Stress variables
Work stress
Demand
14.50
12.5/15.5
15
13.5/18
0.17
Control
20
19/21
20
19/21
0.32
Social support
18.07
±3.31
17.45
±3.54
0.52
Perceived stress
21.07
±8.77
29.09
±7.17
0.001
Vital events
2
2/3.5
3
2/5
0.22
Stress symptoms
24 hours
1
0/2
2
1/3
0.09
Previous week
1.5
0/3.5
3
1/5
0.02
Previous month
2
1/3.5
4.5
2.5/6.5
0.004
Anthropometric variables
BMI (kg/m2)
25.56
±3.59
23.78
±3.18
0.07
WC (cm)
87.4
±9.0
74.9
±7.6
0.000004
WHR
0.8
±0.1
0.7
±0.1
0.000001
Fat percentage (%)
20.1
±5.8
27.9
±3.6
0.000002
HRV variables
RMSSD exe-rest
-18.52
-32.90/-12.18
-18.0
26.0/-11.5
0.79
SD1 exe-rest
-15.33
-20.98/-1.03
-14.53
-18.85/-10.69
0.93
RMSSD rec-exe
24.02
±23.23
15.26
±18.42
0.15
SD1 rec-exe
17.18
±13.21
11.94
±12.34
0.15
kg: kilogram; BMI: body mass index; m: meters; kg/m2: kilogram per square meter; WC: waist circumference; cm: centimeters; WHR: waist-hip ratio; HR: heart rate; bpm: beats per minute; RMSSD: root mean square of the successive differences between RR intervals; SD1: standard deviation 1; exe-rest: exercise minus rest (reactivity); rec-exe: recovery minus exercise (recovery); indicative of a significant difference between genders (<0.05).
