Effects of instructed meditation augmented by computer-rendered artificial virtual environment on heart rate variability

Previous research has supported the use of virtual reality (VR) to decrease stress, anxiety, perceptions of pain, and increase positive affect. However, the effect of VR on blood pressure (BP) and autonomic function in healthy populations have not been explored. This study quantifies the effect of instructed meditation augmented by a virtual environment (VE) on BP and heart rate variability (HRV) during rest and following physical (isometric handgrip) or mental (serial sevens subtraction) stress. Sixteen healthy participants underwent all conditions, and those that responded to the stress tests were included in the analysis of stress recovery. Results showed that under resting conditions, VE had no significant effect on BP or HRV when compared to seated rest and the VE video on a 2D screen. Following serial sevens, VE maintained the increased low frequency (LF) power of HRV (66±4 normalized units (n.u.)) compared to seated rest (55±5 n.u., p=0.0060); VE maintained the decreased high frequency (HF) power of HRV (34±4 n.u.) compared to seated rest (44±5 n.u., p=0.014); and VE maintained the increased LF/HF ratio (2.4±0.5) compared to seated rest (1.6±0.3, p=0.012). Hence, after mental stress, VE sustains the increased sympathetic drive and reduced parasympathetic drive. VE may act as a stimulatory driver for autonomic activity and BP. Further studies are required to investigate the effect of different types of VE on BP and autonomic function.