Carla Pastora Sesín, MD and I have been chatting about the impact of swimming on health. She's an amazing swimmer, and as workout buddies, we both love exercising. Lately, we have been discussing the many benefits of swimming, from basic survival skills to improved lung function. But one interesting aspect I want to point out is how swimming can modulate our autonomic nervous system, which automatically controls things like our heartbeat, breathing, and digestion without us having to think about it.
Autonomic function can be measured through something called Heart Rate Variability (HRV). I found an interesting study titled "Heart Rate Variability at Rest Predicts Heart Response to Simulated Diving," by Malinowski et al., which looks at how our heart responds to the stress of diving. The insights from this study are:
1. HRV as a Predictor: The study discovered that HRV, which measures variations in our heartbeat, can predict how our heart reacts when we dive. People with higher HRV had a stronger slowing down of the heart while diving, showing how important the autonomic nervous system is in controlling heart rate.
2. Differences Between Men and Women: The study also found that men’s and women’s hearts respond differently to diving. Men experienced a stronger heart rate reduction than women, suggesting that men and women might regulate their heart rates differently.
3. Practical Implications: These findings are exciting because they could help us develop new ways to predict and manage heart responses to stress, not just in diving but in other stressful situations. By looking at HRV, we can better understand cardiovascular regulation and provide more personalized and proactive care.
If you're curious to learn more, I recommend reading the full article here:
https://lnkd.in/eJQTb3fT
