Additive Effects of Heating and Exercise on Baroreflex Control of Heart Rate in Healthy Males

This study assessed the additive effects of passive heating and exercise on cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) and heart rate variability (HRV). Twelve healthy young men (25±1 yrs, 23.8±0.5 kg/m²) randomly underwent two experimental sessions: heat stress (HS; whole-body heat stress using a tube-lined suit to increase core temperature by ~1°C) and normothermia (NT). Each session was composed of a: pre-intervention rest (REST1); HS or NT interventions; post-intervention rest (REST2); and 14 min of cycling exercise [7 min at 40%HR_reserve (EX1) and 7 min at 60%HR_reserve (EX2)]. Heart rate and finger blood pressure were continuously recorded. cBRS was assessed using the sequence (cBRS_SEQ) and transfer function (cBRS_TF) methods. HRV was assessed using the indices SDNN (standard deviation of RR intervals) and RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR intervals). cBRS and HRV were not different between sessions during EX1 and EX2 (i.e. matched heart rate conditions: EX1=116±3 vs. 114±3, EX2=143±4 vs. 142±3 bpm; but different workloads: EX1=50±9 vs. 114±8, EX2=106±10 vs. 165±8 Watts; for HS and NT, respectively; P<0.01). However, when comparing EX1 of NT with EX2 of HS (i.e. matched workload conditions, but with different heart rates), cBRS and HRV were significantly reduced in HS (cBRS_SEQ = 1.6±0.3 vs. 0.6±0.1 ms/mmHg, P<0.01; SDNN = 2.3±0.1 vs. 1.3±0.2 ms, P<0.01). In conclusion, in conditions matched by HR, the addition of heat stress to exercise does not affect cBRS and HRV. Alternatively, in workload-matched conditions, the addition of heat to exercise results in reduced cBRS and HRV compared to exercise in normothermia.

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