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Racial Differences in Heart Rate Variability During Sleep in Women
Published Web Location
https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0b013e3182a7ec5cAbstract
Background
Heart rate variability (HRV) differs markedly by race, yet few studies have evaluated these relationships in women, and none have done so during sleep (sHRV).Methods
We addressed these gaps by examining sHRV in women of African American, Chinese American, or European American origin or descent (mean [standard deviation] age = 51.2 [2.2] years).Results
HRV during Stage 2 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep differed significantly by race after adjusting for possible confounders. Normalized high-frequency HRV was significantly lower in European American compared with African American and Chinese American participants (European American NREM = 0.35 [0.01], REM = 0.23 [0.01]; African American NREM = 0.43 [0.02], REM = 0.29 [0.02]; Chinese American NREM = 0.47 [0.03], REM = 0.33 [0.02]; p values <.001). European Americans also exhibited higher low-to-high-frequency HRV ratios during sleep compared with African American and Chinese American women (European American NREM = 2.42 [1.07], REM = 5.05 [1.07]; African American NREM = 1.69 [1.09], REM = 3.51 [1.09]; Chinese American NREM = 1.35 [1.07], REM = 2.88 [1.13]; p values <.001).Conclusions
Race was robustly related to sHRV. Compared with women of African American or Chinese American origin or descent, European American women exhibited decreased vagally mediated control of the heart during sleep. Prospective data are needed to evaluate whether sHRV, including race differences, predicts cardiovascular disease.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.
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