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Background <p>The study aimed to elucidate sex differences in autonomic regulation during sleep under free-living conditions by focusing on parasympathetic activity and its coordination with physical activity (PA).</p> Methods <p>Data from 111 university students who volunteered for a 24-h monitoring study using the ActiveTracer device, which continuously recorded heart rate variability (HRV) and PA, were analyzed. HRV was assessed via spectral decomposition of 1-min epochs, yielding the high-frequency component expressed in normalized units (HFnu) as an index of parasympathetic activity. Autonomic-somatic coordination was quantified using a cross-correlation analysis between HFnu and PA signals, from which the percentage of windows with zero-min lag (%lag0) during pre-sleep and post-waking period was derived.</p> Results <p>Female participants exhibited significantly higher HFnu values than males across the entire sleep period, with the most pronounced differences observed during the early sleep phase (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, during the pre-sleep period, females demonstrated higher %lag0 values, indicating a tighter coupling between autonomic regulation and PA.</p> Conclusion <p>These findings highlight significant sex-related differences in autonomic regulation during sleep in free-living conditions. The enhanced parasympathetic activity and stronger autonomic–somatic coordination observed in females, particularly during the transition into sleep, may contribute to more efficient physiological recovery. These insights may inform sex-specific strategies to improve autonomic nervous system function during sleep and strengthen cardiovascular resilience. Future research should incorporate precise neurophysiological measures and broader demographic samples to further elucidate these mechanisms.</p>

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Sleep, Stress, and Sex: Uncovering Autonomic Regulation During Sleep in Daily Life Using Heart Rate Variability and Physical Activity Metrics

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月8日

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  • Kentaro Taniguchi

摘要

Background

The study aimed to elucidate sex differences in autonomic regulation during sleep under free-living conditions by focusing on parasympathetic activity and its coordination with physical activity (PA).

Methods

Data from 111 university students who volunteered for a 24-h monitoring study using the ActiveTracer device, which continuously recorded heart rate variability (HRV) and PA, were analyzed. HRV was assessed via spectral decomposition of 1-min epochs, yielding the high-frequency component expressed in normalized units (HFnu) as an index of parasympathetic activity. Autonomic-somatic coordination was quantified using a cross-correlation analysis between HFnu and PA signals, from which the percentage of windows with zero-min lag (%lag0) during pre-sleep and post-waking period was derived.

Results

Female participants exhibited significantly higher HFnu values than males across the entire sleep period, with the most pronounced differences observed during the early sleep phase (p < 0.05). Moreover, during the pre-sleep period, females demonstrated higher %lag0 values, indicating a tighter coupling between autonomic regulation and PA.

Conclusion

These findings highlight significant sex-related differences in autonomic regulation during sleep in free-living conditions. The enhanced parasympathetic activity and stronger autonomic–somatic coordination observed in females, particularly during the transition into sleep, may contribute to more efficient physiological recovery. These insights may inform sex-specific strategies to improve autonomic nervous system function during sleep and strengthen cardiovascular resilience. Future research should incorporate precise neurophysiological measures and broader demographic samples to further elucidate these mechanisms.