The Impact of Levels of Religious Belief and Practices on Heart Rate Variability

Abstract

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation between consecutive heart beats over time. Increased HRV is positively correlated with better overall cardiac health. There are many lifestyle and biological factors that affect HRV. Research has examined the effects of chanting, reading holy texts, or praying on HRV, however, there has been little research done on how religion affects HRV. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between levels of religious beliefs and practice and HRV. Inter‐ and intra‐religious beliefs and levels of practice were measured using a scale from 1 to 5. HRVs were generated using an HRV analysis program (LabChart, ADInstruments) from a lead I electrocardiogram (EKG), measuring from one R wave to the next R wave (R‐R). EKGs, measuring 9 time‐domain measurements of HRV, were performed on 67 participants. T‐tests and Bonferroni analyses were performed on the data to determine significance. Data was analyzed from participants identifying as members of 4 different religious traditions: atheist, Catholic, non‐denominational Christian, and Jewish. There is a significant difference (p=0.03, n=10) in SDRR (std dev of R‐R time) of Catholics with different levels of religious practice, but not atheists (p=0.5, n=15), Christians (p=0.6, n=17), or Jews (p=0.7, n=11). Similarly, there is a significant difference (p=0.006, n=15) in SDRR of atheists with different levels of religious beliefs, but not Catholics (p=0.4,n=10), Christians (p=0.7, n=17), or Jews (p=0.2, n=11). The data supports significant differences in HRV between members of the same religious traditions having differing levels of practice, however the cause of this affect remains unknown.