EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE

Abstract

The sympathetic and parasympathetic function of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is the primary cause of the variations in Heart Rate and Skin Conductance (SC) during different physical activities. This paper aims to analyze the effect of different physical activities i.e. (a) Supine (b) Standing and (c) Warm-up, on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and SC. The standard dataset of 18 subjects has been used to analyze the effect of physical activities on the HRV and SC. In the used dataset, the subjects are in supine, standing, and warm-up positions. The linear methods (time domain & frequency domain) of HRV are implemented on the standard dataset for analyzing the effect of physical activities. It has been observed with the analysis of the HRV that the mean value of time domain methods i.e. the NN interval’s standard deviation (SDNN), the successive RR interval’s root mean square (RMSSD), RR intervals with more than 50 ms differences in between them (NN50), percentage of successive RR intervals that have the difference of more than 50 ms (pNN50) are decreased and the value of Heart rate (HR) increased when the activity has been changed from supine to standing and standing to the warm-up positions. The value of frequency domain methods, such as low frequency (LF) and the ratio of low and high frequency (LF/HF) increased, while the value of HF decreases as activity changes from supine to standing and from supine to warm-up position. Further, the increment is also observed in the value of SC when activity is switched from supine to standing and from standing to the warm-up position. It is concluded from the results that there is a significant decrement that is observed in the value of HRV, while the increment is observed in the value of SC and HR. Decrement of HRV reflects that the sympathetic activity is increased as activity changed from supine to standing and further from standing to warm-up positions.