Cardiac Autonomic and Physiological Responses to Moderate- intensity Exercise in Hypoxia

Alessandro Fornasiero; Spyros Skafidas; Federico Stella; Andrea Zignoli; Aldo Savoldelli; Mark Rakobowchuk; Barbara Pellegrini; Federico Schena; Laurent Mourot

doi:10.1055/a-1015-0647

International Journal of Sports Medicine, Table of Contents

Int J Sports Med 2019; 40(14): 886-896
DOI: 10.1055/a-1015-0647

Physiology & Biochemistry

Cardiac Autonomic and Physiological Responses to Moderate- intensity Exercise in Hypoxia

Alessandro Fornasiero

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

²Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

,

Spyros Skafidas

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

²Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

,

Federico Stella

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

²Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

,

Andrea Zignoli

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

³Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Trento, Italy

,

Aldo Savoldelli

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

²Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

,

Mark Rakobowchuk

⁴Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Science, Kamloops, Canada

,

Barbara Pellegrini

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

²Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

,

Federico Schena

¹CeRiSM, Sport Mountain and Health Research Centre, University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

²Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

,

Laurent Mourot

⁵EA3920 Prognostic Factors and Regulatory Factors of Cardiac and Vascular Pathologies, Exercise Performance Health Innovation (EPHI) platform, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France

⁶National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Exercise physiological responses can be markedly affected by acute hypoxia. We investigated cardiac autonomic and physiological responses to different hypoxic training protocols. Thirteen men performed three exercise sessions (5×5-min; 1-min passive recovery): normoxic exercise at 80% of the power output (PO) at the first ventilatory threshold (N), hypoxic exercise (FiO₂=14.2%) with the same PO as N (HPO) and hypoxic exercise at the same heart rate (HR) as N (HHR). PO was lower in HHR (21.1±9.3%) compared to N and HPO. Mean HR was higher in HPO (154±11 bpm, p<0.01) than N and HHR (139±10 vs. 138±9 bpm; p=0.80). SpO₂ was reduced (p<0.01) to a similar extent (p>0.05) in HPO and HHR compared to N. HR recovery (HRR) and HR variability indices were similar in N and HHR (p>0.05) but reduced in HPO (p<0.05), mirroring a delayed parasympathetic reactivation. Blood lactate and ventilation were similar in N and HHR (p>0.05) and increased in HPO (p<0.001). During recovery oxygen consumption and ventilation were similar in N and HHR (p>0.05) and increased in HPO (p<0.01). Moderate HR-matched hypoxic exercise triggers similar cardiac autonomic and physiological responses to normoxic exercise with a reduced mechanical load. On the contrary, the same absolute intensity exercise in hypoxia is associated with increased exercise-induced metabolic stress and delayed cardiac autonomic recovery.

Key words

heart rate recovery - hypoxia - post-exercise recovery, hypoxic exercise - cardiac autonomic activity

Full Text

References

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