The influence of age on heart rate variability during morning wakefulness

Abstract

Objective; Early morning wakefulness is associated with a peak in cardiac events. The influence of ageing on cardiac regulation during this time is unknown. This cross-sectional study of healthy men and women (n = 40, 20-30 and 0.01). Older adults did not show any variation in any HRV variables across wake and sleep stages. All effects were independent of gender. Interpretation; Older adults did not experience increased sympathetic dominance during morning wakefulness; thus in the older population, fluctuations in autonomic control, indicated by HRV measurements, are unlikely to account for increased occurrence of cardiac events at this time. © Springer-Verlag 2009.