Author: Wei GX1, Li YF2, Yue XL1, Ma X2,3, Chang YK4, Yi LY5, Li JC6, Zuo XN1.
Affiliation: 1Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. 2Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing, China. 3Department of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. 4Graduate Institute of Athletics and Coaching Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan. 5Sport Science Research Center, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China. 6Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, China.
Conference/Journal: Psych J.
Date published: 2015 Sep 16
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1002/pchj.105 , Word Count: 243
Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practice is currently intentionally applied in clinical populations, especially those with cardiovascular diseases because of its potential benefits on the autonomic nervous system. The long-term effect of TCC practice on heart rate variability (HRV) remains largely unknown. In this study, we recruited 23 TCC practitioners whose experience averaged approximately 21 years and 19 controls matched by age, sex and education to examine the effect of TCC practice on the autonomic nervous system during a resting state and during an abdominal breathing state. HRV was measured by traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. The results showed that the low frequency, total power frequency, and normalized low frequency components and the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio were significantly higher, whereas the normalized high frequency was significantly lower in the TCC practitioners relative to controls during the abdominal breathing state. However, we did not detect any significant difference in the HRV measures during the resting state between the two groups. Additionally, TCC experience did not correlate with HRV components either in the abdominal state or the resting state in the TCC group. Considering all of these findings, we suggest that TCC improves vagal activity and the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity during the relaxation state. This study also provides direct physiological evidence for the role of TCC practice in relaxation.
© 2015 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
KEYWORDS:
Tai Chi Chuan; breathing; extensive training; frequency domain analysis; heart rate variability
PMID: 26377754