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Heart rate variability at different thermal comfort levels

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Abstract

The mechanism of human thermal comfort is important for building a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. This paper analyzes human heart rate variability (HRV) at different thermal comfort levels and discusses the mechanism of human thermal comfort. A total of 33 subjects were divided in 3 groups. Under air temperatures of 21, 24, 26, 28, 29, and 30°C, the subjects’ electrocardiogram was recorded for 5 min. HRV (the ratio of absolute powers in low- and high-frequency bands, LF/HF ratio) was analyzed. LF/HF at discomfort level were significantly higher than that at comfort level (P < 0.05), despite the same thermal sensation. The results indicate that sympathetic activity plays an important role in subjects’ thermal discomfort and the LF/HF ratio may be used as an indicator for human thermal comfort.

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Acknowledgments

The project is financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50478018). The authors would like to acknowledge Mr. Qi Shen and Miss Chunhong Wang for their assistance during the experiment. And also, the authors want to express thanks to the subjects who volunteered for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institution of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Road Dongchuan, 200240, Shanghai, China

    Weiwei Liu & Zhiwei Lian

  2. College of Basic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Yuanmou Liu

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  1. Weiwei Liu
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  2. Zhiwei Lian
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  3. Yuanmou Liu
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Correspondence to Zhiwei Lian.

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Liu, W., Lian, Z. & Liu, Y. Heart rate variability at different thermal comfort levels. Eur J Appl Physiol 103, 361–366 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0718-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0718-6

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