Reactivity of the autonomic nervous system in persons with different levels of motivation for exercise

Aim. The paper aims to reveal the features of heart rate variability under exercise in persons with different levels of initial motivation. Materials and methods. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability was performed in 35 female students before and after exercise and during recovery. All female students were divided into groups depending on their levels of motivation for exercise. Statistical significance of data was calculated by means of Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney tests. The χ2 test was used for establishing the difference in the distributions of relative values. Mathematical and statistical data processing was carried out using the SPSS v. 17.0. Results. Background values of heart rate variability in female students are characterized by different levels of motivation for exercise. It was established that female students with an average level of motivation at all stages of the experiment (before and after exercise, during recovery) preserved a relatively high activity of the sympathetic system. Conclusion. The features of the response of the autonomic nervous system in persons with an average level of motivation were associated with the mobilization of body resources required for effective performance; in persons with a high level of motivation, functional fitness for exercise was found. The prospect of studying the relationship between cognitive control and self-regulation was determined based on the analysis of the mechanisms of autonomic regulation under exercise.