Relationship Between Anxiety and Heart Rate Variability in Elderly Insomnia Patients

Objective: This study investigated the association between anxiety symptoms in elderly insomnia patients and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters. Methods: In total, 46 elderly patients (67.91±5.61 years old, 11 males, 35 females) were enrolled. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ), Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale were used to measure sleep quality and anxiety. Resting-state HRV was also obtained. The associations between anxiety measures and HRV were analyzed. Results: Female sex was related to higher normalized high-frequency (HF norm) power (β=0.32, p=0.04). The APPQ score was negatively correlated with the HF norm (β=-0.59, p<0.01). Age was negatively correlated with low-frequency power/high-frequency power (LF/HF) ratio (β=-0.33, p=0.04). Female sex was correlated to lower LF/HF ratio (β=-0.36, p=0.02). The APPQ score was positively correlated with LF/HF ratio (β=0.68, p<0.01). Conclusion: Panic symptoms in elderly insomnia patients were negatively correlated with parasympathetic nervous system activity.