Journal of Behavioral Medicine

, Volume 15, Issue 5, pp 489–507 | Cite as

Effects of acute exercise on cardiovascular reactivity

  • Barbara L. Ebbesen
  • Kenneth M. Prkachin
  • David E. Mills
  • Howard J. Green
Article
Accepted:

Abstract

Although exercise may modulate cardiovascular reactivity to stress, its acute effects have not been studied extensively. The purpose of this study was to examine over time the acute effects of different durations of aerobic exercise on cardiovascular reactivity to stressors. Twenty-four sedentary men underwent minimal exercise, 1 or 2 hr of stationary cycling at 55% VO2maxHeart rate, blood pressure, and blood catecholamines were measured during cold pressor, Stroop, and public speech tasks 1, 3, and 24 hr after exercise. One or two hours of exercise attenuated blood pressure responses to stress. The attenuation was evident 3 hr following exercise and was most apparent on the cold pressor task. These effects were independent of epinephrine level and stress appraisal. The role of central sympathetic processes in the effects of exercise and methodologic implications are discussed.

Key words

stress exercise reactivity blood pressure 
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Copyright information

© Plenum Publishing Corporation 1992

Authors and Affiliations

  • Barbara L. Ebbesen
    • 1
  • Kenneth M. Prkachin
    • 1
  • David E. Mills
    • 1
  • Howard J. Green
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Health StudiesUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooCanada
  2. 2.Department of KinesiologyUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooCanada

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