A Study on Resting Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability of Athletes, Non-athletes and Cricketers

Resting heart rate (RHR) is a primary marker to understand the overall physical state of an individual. Rhythmic changes in heart rate (HR) at any given point reflect the complex interactions between parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves system. Assessment of workload through HR can be confusing unless RHR is known. RHR & heart rate variability (HRV) at rest are important to justify training load, recovery and adaptation in sports. The study was carried out to explore the values of RHR and HRV parameters of cricketers, athletes and non-athletes of West Bengal. Forty three male volunteers with a mean age of 20.2 ± 2.1 years were selected for the study. Five minutes R-R intervals were recorded during resting state in the supine position. Mean HR, SDNN, and rMSSD of cricketers has been found to be 57 ± 5 bpm, 54.5 ± 15.7 ms, and 66.8 ± 21.6 ms respectively. No significant difference found in SDNN and rMSSD of three groups but a significant (p < 0.05) difference has been observed in RHR of cricketers. A low resting heart rate, a kind of bradycardia, has been found in the cricketers.