SHORT TERM PHYSICAL TRAINING AND ITS BENEFIT ON CARDIOVASCULAR AND AUTONOMIC RESPONSE

Purpose of the study: Physical training results in favorable cardiovascular changes and that autonomic nervous system "the prime mediator" of these changes. Aim: The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that short duration of physical training may result in improved Cardiovascular recovery profile in humans. Material and Methods: Over a two month period, 58 healthy adult volunteers in age group of 17 to 20 years, the study was conducted in the Department of Physiology Gandhi Medical College Bhopal. Cardiovascular physical performance parameters were measured in terms of heart rate and blood pressure during physical exercise (Bicycle ergometery) as well as post exercise period. A standard battery of autonomic function tests including both activity and reactivity was used.Sympathetic reactivity is evaluated by diastolic blood pressure response to hand grip test and Parasympathetic reactivity is evaluated by heart rate variability during deep breathing. Results and Interpretation: In the present study heart rate increased with physical exercise linearly upto day 5^th, after that increase in heart rate was less. Students ˜"t"  test revealed a statistically significant (P< 0.001) decline in heart rate value recorded on day 1 and day 15^th.With training , there is rise in systolic blood pressure with decrease of diastolic blood pressure which is statistically significant, but the observation revealed that the systolic and diastolic pressure values on day 1^st and 15^th did not show any statistically significant change with exercise. Sympathetic reactivity as evaluated by diastolic blood pressure response to hand grip test showed a decrease at 4^th minute though it was not statistically significant. Parasympathetic reactivity is evaluated by heart rate variability during deep breathing which is not statistically significant. Conclusion: It could be concluded from our study that a short term physical training improved the cardiovascular status in humans by increased reading of blood pressure at beginning of exercise  due to rapid  vagal withdrawal and decreased reading of blood pressure after training  due to increase in vagal tone. A trend of an increase in parasympathetic tone and decrease in sympathetic tone was observed.