Heart Rate Variability and Sleep Apnea Indicators in Clinical and High-Altitude Groups

46 male participants, including 35 clinically suspected OSA patients and 11 healthy men exposed to high-altitude hypoxia, provide data on heart rate variability (HRV) parameters and sleep apnea severity. This research paper investigates correlations between time-domain HRV metrics like RMSSD and deceleration capacity against the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and nocturnal oxygen saturation (SpO2). The study compares associations across two distinct populations to assess HRV's context-dependent utility as a non-invasive screening tool.

Use Cases

• Analyze the correlation between the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) to explore HRV as an OSA severity indicator.
• Model the relationship between RMSSD and mean nocturnal oxygen saturation (SpO2) to predict hypoxic stress from wakeful HRV measurements.
• Compare deceleration capacity and SpO2 associations between clinical OSA and high-altitude hypoxia groups to study context-specific autonomic responses.
• Use HRV parameters from wakefulness to build classifiers for identifying physiological stress linked to sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).

Strengths

• Data includes 46 participants across two distinct physiological contexts: clinical OSA suspicion and controlled high-altitude exposure.
• Key statistical results are provided, such as a correlation of r = -0.524 between RMSSD and AHI in the clinical group.
• Longitudinal data from a one-year stay at the Antarctic Concordia station (~3,800 m equivalent) captures effects of prolonged hypoxia.

Limitations

• The dataset is small, with only 46 male participants, limiting statistical power and generalizability.
• Data is presented in a 163.9 KB PDF report, not in a structured, machine-readable tabular format for direct analysis.
• Findings show weaker HRV associations in the high-altitude group, indicating context-dependency that may reduce diagnostic reliability.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Paniz Balali.

Collection Method

Comparative study measuring HRV parameters during wakefulness against polysomnography (PSG) and pulse oximetry indices.

Time Range

Study period includes a one-year high-altitude exposure; specific years not stated.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

High-altitude data from Antarctic Concordia station; clinical group location not specified.