Breda Podjaveršek¹, Tjaša Kamenski², Bogdan Lorber¹, Fajko F. Bajrović¹ ³
¹Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia
²Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
³Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Increased resting heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, indicating parasympathetic (PSYM) modulation, are well acknowledged independent protective factors against cardiovascular diseases and mortality. It is known that meditation increases PSYM modulation of the heart rate. However, it is not known if prayer, which in our cultural environment best resembles meditational state of mind, affects resting HRV parameters. The aim of this study was to examine whether PSYM modulatory activity is affected by a personal catholic prayer. For this purpose we compared a high frequency (HF) band of HRV, indicating PSYM modulation, before and during a personal prayer in subjects who regularly pray.
This cross-sectional study included 15 healthy subjects (age 37 ± 12, males 5), who regularly pray. The subjects sat in a quite room equipped with two wrist ECG electrodes for the heart rate measurement and a plethysmographic belt around their thorax for breathing rate control. After 15 minutes rest they performed a personal prayer for 15 minutes. By using five minutes long ECG recordings values of HF band of HRV were compared between the resting state and personal prayer.
We found statistically significant lower average value of HF band of HRV during personal prayer in comparison to the resting state (p = 0.035).
Preliminary results of our study showing decreased values of HF band of HRV during the personal prayer might indicate that personal prayer, in contrast to the meditation, decreases PSYM modulatory control of the heart rate.
Keywords: heart rate variability, prayer, autonomic nervous system