Summary
Meta-analyses confirm that anxiety disorders (GAD, panic, social anxiety, PTSD) are associated with reduced HRV, with small-to-moderate effect sizes. This has implications for long-term cardiovascular health.
Methods
Meta-analysis of 36 articles, 2086 patients, 2294 controls
Key Findings
- Anxiety disorders show lower HF-HRV (g = -0.29)
- Time domain HRV also reduced (g = -0.45)
- Panic disorder, GAD, PTSD, social anxiety all affected
- OCD did not show significant HRV reduction
- Effects independent of medication and comorbidities
Limitations
Heterogeneous anxiety presentations and measures
What This Means for You
If you have an anxiety disorder, low HRV is common and may indicate increased cardiovascular risk. Treatments that improve HRV (biofeedback, CBT, exercise) may benefit both anxiety and heart health.
Source
Read the original paper in Psychophysiology ↗
Added to HRV Zone: 2025-01-10