| Title | Heart-rate variability and precompetitive anxiety in swimmers. | ||
| Author | Cervantes Blasquez, Julio Cesar; Rodas Font, Gil; Capdevila Ortis, Lluis | ||
| Journal | Psicothema | Publication Year/Month | 2009-Nov |
| PMID | 19861094 | PMCID | -N/A- |
| Affiliation | 1.Laboratorio de Psicologia del Deporte, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain. catajulio@hotmail.com. | ||
The aim of this study was to test the utility of heart-rate variability (HRV) analyses as a noninvasive means of quantifying cardiac autonomic regulation during precompetitive anxiety situations in swimmers. Psychophysiological state evaluation of 10 volunteer <<master>> swimmers (6 women and 4 men) was obtained by comparing baseline training condition (TC) with competition condition (CC). Self-evaluation of precompetitive somatic anxiety measured by CSAI-2 showed significant increase from the TC to CC. Analysis showed that during higher precompetitive anxiety level, a significant reduction in the timing (RMSSD), frequency (HFms2 and HFnu) and Poincare plot (SD1) of heart-rate variability was observed, and a significant increase in the low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF/HF %). The results indicate a shift towards sympathetic predominance as a result of parasympathetic withdrawal. Our results provide an HRV analysis in a valid, useful and non-invasive way to evaluate the change of sympathovagal balance in presence of precompetitive stress.