The Feasibility of Heart Rate Variability to Test Dose Effectiveness of Home-based Meditative Practices in Lung Cancer Patients

摘要

Background/Purpose: Early evidence suggests that meditative practices can be efficacious for symptom management and improving health related quality of life (HRQOL) in lung cancer populations. Bio-physiological data are essential to enhance understanding of outcomes associated with supportive interventions. Meditative practices may provide benefits via impact on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) by improving vagal tone. Heart rate variability (HRV) measurement provides an index of autonomic flexibility and vagal tone as a potentially valid parameter to evaluate dose by capturing balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activation. The purpose was to conduct HRV feasibility and respiratory timing testing among participants engaged in meditative practice.