Non-linear dynamics of cardiac autonomic activity during cycling exercise with varied cadence

The decrease of HRV values over time and in relation to the increase in cadence indicates a decrease in the overall variability as well as a reduction in complexity of the RR-interval-fluctuations due to the increased organismic demands. Therefore, the decrease of DFA-alpha1 might be associated with a withdrawal of the organismic system aiming at the maintenance of the homeostasis under the control of the central nervous system. In this context, non-linear HRV analyses provide a more systemic view of cardiac regulation during exercise.