Alper PERCIN, Ramazan Cihad YILMAZ, Dilan DEMIRTAS KARAOBA, Busra CANDIRI
Medical Records - 2026;8(1):1-6
Aim: The purpose of this research is to investigate how perceived stress levels relate to heart rate variability (HRV) among healthy adults. Material and Methods: The study was conducted prospectively and cross-sectionally from December 15, 2024 to February 15, 2025. The study included 80 healthy adults aged 18-55 years without chronic diseases. Participants were administered the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), after which HRV parameters were measured. Along with the Stress Index (SI), the standard deviation of the time intervals between normal heartbeats (SDNN) and the Poincaré chart indices SD1, SD2 and the SD2/SD1 ratio were measured. Results: PSS was negatively correlated with SD1 and SDNN, and positively correlated with the SD2/SD1 ratio (r = -0.446, r = -0.482, and r = 0.401; p < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of SD2 parameter. There were significant differences between the low- and high-stress groups for SI, SD1, SD2/SD1 ratio, SDNN, and heart rate parameters (p<0.001, p=0.001, p=0.002, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). However, no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of SD2 parameter. Conclusion: This study revealed that perceived stress level was significantly associated with HRV parameters in healthy individuals and that especially SD1, SDNN, SD2/SD1 ratio and heart rate were sensitive to stress level. The findings suggest that increased stress level may suppress autonomic nervous system regulation, especially parasympathetic activity, and cause sympathetic response to become dominant.
