What is Heart Rate Variability Analysis?
This technique is based on the fact that the heart rate is not uniform but varies continuously from beat to beat by a few milliseconds. The periodic components of this endless heart rate variation are dictated by the antagonistic impulses that the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches have on the heart. Cybernetic recording of this constant variability is able to estimate both sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. The elegance of this method resides in the fact that all measurements are derived from electrocardiograms, so patients are subjected to no discomfort whatsoever. Heart rate variability analysis is not a test that a patient can readily obtain from practicing physicians. So far, this test is largely confined to research centers. Our Research on Fibromyalgia We have used heart rate variability analysis to estimate ANS function in patients with FM. We have found that such patients have changes consistent with relentless hyperactivity of their sympathetic nervous system whi
