Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised critical concerns about its long-term effects on cardiovascular health, particularly concerning autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. Little is known about the differences in ANS function between physically active and inactive individuals exposed and nonexposed to COVID-19. This study aimed to compare the impact of self-reported physical activity on ANS function using heart rate variability (HRV) metrics in individuals exposed and nonexposed to COVID-19. In total 142 participants from the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia, were divided into exposed (n = 70) and nonexposed (n = 71) groups based on their COVID-19 exposure. HRV was assessed using photoplethysmography and analyzed using time and frequency domains. Physical activity was assessed using simple yes or no question, and duration was categorized into less than 30 minutes, 30 minutes, and more than 30 minutes. Physically active participants generally exhibited higher HRV metrics, suggesting better autonomic function, although this effect was more pronounced in the nonexposed group. Interestingly, the low-frequency to high-frequency ratio was the only HRV metric that showed a statistically significant difference between active and inactive participants in the nonexposed group (P = .04). There were no significant differences in HRV metrics based on the duration of reported physical activity in either the COVID-19-exposed or nonexposed groups. The study underscored the importance of monitoring cardiovascular health in post-COVID-19 populations and suggested that while physical activity is beneficial, the virus may blunted its benefits. Further research is needed to explore the long-term implications of COVID-19 on autonomic function and the potential for physical activity to mitigate these effects.