Aerobic exercise intensity and time of stressor administration influence cardiovascular responses to psychological stress.
This study examined cardiovascular responses as a function of time following exercise in which participants were exposed to a laboratory stressor. Ninety (42 women) young (18-35 years old) nonsmoking normotensive participants engaged in 30 min of high and low intensity (75-80% and 50-55% VO(2) max) aerobic exercise and a sedentary control condition. Participants were randomly assigned to a laboratory stressor 5, 30, or 60 min following the exercise bout. Results indicate that low and high intensity exercise significantly reduce heart rate (HR) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure reactivity and HR recovery values. An inverse relationship between intensity of exercise and subsequent cardiovascular reactivity was found. These findings suggest attenuated stress responses following acute exercise depend both on exercise intensity and the time of exposure to psychological stress following exercise.
Alderman
Brandon L
BL
Division of Kinesiology and Health, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3196, USA. alderman@uwyo.edu
Arent
Shawn M
SM
Landers
Daniel M
DM
Rogers
Tracie J
TJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*